If Dreams Come True
by kleannhouse
Summary: Sookie and Eric: M/ AH/ Canon- Book Verse What happens when a simple girl meets the man of her dreams? But they are from different worlds!
1. Humble Beginnings

**If Dreams Come True **

Sookie and Eric: M/ AH/ Canon- Book Verse

**What happens when a simple girl meets the man of her dreams? But they are from different worlds!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, Charlaine Harris does and I am just playing with them for a bit and bringing in a few new friends.

Author's comments: While writing this story I wanted to give some of the characters their chance to talk. When I change from Sookie's POV to another I will let you know. The story is mainly written in her point of view but it will change from time to time.

**Chapter 1 Humble Beginnings**

Dating, I despise dating….. How can my friends possibly think that they are helping me out? Setting me up with blind dates, dinner invites for three people that turn out to be four people, emails from strangers, online dating websites (Tara actually typed in my profile and listed my true email address, **Bitch**) and speed dating because they thought it would be fun. I don't know how many times I have told Tara and Amelia to stay out of my non-existent love life, but they just won't stop. They say they are doing it because they love me and don't want me to be lonely anymore. Granted, I have no life to speak of, but I prefer it that way since I got burned by my supposed, true love and **YES **I am happy with the life I have now, without him.

…. Family, Friends, Work and My Students…..

Oh I think I forgot to mention, my name is Sookie Stackhouse, most people think it is short for Susannah but it's not. It's just plain ol' Sookie, just like me, simple tastes with a simple life. I have plenty of dreams and I was living some of them until about four years ago. I never thought my world would be turned upside down by the man I loved.

I met John Quinn while I was in high school. Quinn was 4 years my senior, now don't judge me, I am from Louisiana after all, and that's how we roll. I was a junior in high school and John just got back from college; he went to LSU for 2 years and he was studying Engineering (or so I thought). In actuality, he only made it through a year of school credits; even though he was there for 2 years. I guess partying was his major. Of course, I did not learn any of this until I myself was at LSU, three years later.

Apparently he majored in lying at LSU; he stated to me that he could not get a job in his field of study for the two years we were together….. I believed him… More than once he stated that there were no openings in Shreveport for the type of Engineer he was; that he would have to go to New Orleans if he wanted to find a job. He told me numerous times that he was staying in town for me.

I was flattered….And very naive…

He swept me off my feet and I believed him.

It was a whirlwind romance; no boys my age ever gave me a second look. I never knew why they avoided me but I later found out from Amelia that it was due to my big brother telling all the boys in school he would beat the shit out of them if they even looked at me or spoke two words to me. I always thought I was rebuffed from all the school boys' attentions because I was a cow and ugly. I was bigger and curvier then most of the girls in my high school. Plus I lived a very sheltered life for my first two years of high school. I had my girlfriends but no one would date me, so I figured once I went to college that would change. How wrong I was to believe I would have to wait so long.

When I met Quinn, I was working at Merlotte's Bar and Grill over the summer and he told me I was gorgeous and wanted to get to know me better and then date me. I was still a virgin and I think that was a plus in his eyes. We talked of our future and how we would get married and have children after I graduated from LSU as a teacher. It was everything I ever wanted and he never pushed the sex thing with me; he was such a gentleman and I told him so. Granted we did the typical teenage petting and such but he never pushed intercourse on me, at least for the first year we were together. I fell in love with him and thought he loved me too. Gran told me to take my time since he was older than me but I paid no never mind to her. I knew what I was doing; yeah how many teenagers say that to their parents, **millions right**?

I finally gave into him after I turned 18 years old, besides it was my senior year of high school.

What could it hurt? … **Right**….

I turned 18 in July and lost my virginity in August. I thought he would be mine forever and since we had been talking marriage I thought sex with him was okay in God's eyes.

We fucked like bunnies for the next nine months; Quinn was everything to me as I thought I was to him.

As Prom approached I was getting nervous because Quinn had told me he didn't want to go to something as lame as my Prom. I never thought there were other issues but I found out he was playing around on me with someone else (and I don't mean play date either), she was three years younger than me and they had been sneaking around for months. I ended it with Quinn just two weeks before Prom.

I was devastated.

I had no clue what I was going to do; I had my tickets, my dress and my girlfriends and I had rented a hotel in the outskirts of Shreveport for the night. I had told Tara, Amelia and Holly I was backing out but they would not have it. They said they would find me someone, even if it was a cousin…..

We happened to be discussing this at Merlotte's and the owner Sam said he would go with me.

I was shocked.

Granted, he was my boss, and 6 years my senior, but I was desperate at that point, so I said okay. I did not know at the time he had a crush on me; I just thought he was being nice.

As the big day approached, I was getting odd threats, in the form of letters attached to my locker at school and notes attached to my windshield of my shitty yellow Toyota.

There was one note where it stated I was good for no-one other than Quinn.

I had another one that said I could be no one else's girlfriend since I had already slept with Quinn. It mentioned I should go crawling back to him on my hands and knees…... **yeah** **as if**…..

A few other times, the notes mentioned that I was nothing but a whore since I slept with him before we had gotten married.

Odd thing was, it looked like a female's handwriting and I knew it wasn't Quinn's. It was a week before Prom and the shit hit the fan. Frannie Quinn showed up on my doorstep and yelled at me about ditching her brother for Sam.

She said "I was a useless whore and I should go crawling back to her brother because he was devastated without me."

She also stated in a shrill scream," Quinn loves you, and only you, and the little tart was nothing but a passing fancy; you make him a whole person…and then "You should be grateful he stayed here to be with you instead of moving to New Orleans to get a better job as an engineer."

It hit me hard; I felt sorry for Quinn. For the first time in our relationship, I did not know what to do next.

I spoke with Gran about it and she said "I should just listen to my heart and it will lead me in the right direction."

Well, I was lost without Quinn, I knew that much. He was my heart but I could not cancel on Sam since he saved me from going to the Prom by myself. So I decided to wait until after the Prom to talk to Quinn about us and our future. I wanted to have a good time with my friends.

Tara and JB, Holly and Andy, Amelia and Tray, Sam and I headed to the Prom as scheduled. We were having a great time until we headed for the hotel; Sam took it all wrong and thought we were a couple. I guess I led him on but I did not mean to; so it was Tray and JB that pulled him off of me and kicked the shit out of him. I should have known better, now I thought everyone viewed me as white trash for sleeping with Quinn. How young and naive of me to think that, I wasn't grown up at all.

It was about a week later I called Quinn and asked him if we could talk; it was that same week that I got a late acceptance letter from LSU. It included a scholarship I needed so I could go to school there. It was a full ride with room and board; I was in heaven.

So when I arrived at Quinn's house, I was ecstatic and I told him my good news. He was not one bit happy; he wanted to know how I could call him to discuss us but in the same breathe say I was going away to college.

He said there was no way it would work and he was not moving to Baton Rouge for me. It was either him or my school. I told him I could not give up my dreams and he demanded that I stay in Bon Temps-Shreveport area and go to a local college to be with him.

He said, "Sookie, this is what made sense, we were destined to be together and if you move you will spoil it."

I was so lost, I wanted him back but I wanted to be a teacher all of my life and that meant I need to be in Baton Rouge; this was my main dream all my life. He knew this when we had talked about our future together. He had told me once that we would marry after I graduated from LSU as a teacher and live in Shreveport since they had more schools.

He knew this….

Why was he being so mean?

Why couldn't he remember this?

Why was he being so selfish?

When did he become number one in our relationship?

Was this emotional blackmail? …

We weren't even back together yet and he was making demands I knew I could not give into.

I told him I had to think about his requests he wanted me to give up my dreams and he had me so confused. I needed to speak to Gran, OHHH Hell, I was screwed.

I went home and spoke with Gran and she said;

"What are your dreams child? "

"What type of future do you want?"

"What is your heart telling you?"

"What is your head telling you?"

I answered her without thinking

"To become an Elementary School Teacher; to marry the man I love and have a family"

"That's easy, I want a simple life with simple things but I want to be a teacher and have a family."

"My heart is telling me I love Quinn and I should stay here to be with him, to put my dreams on

hold for the time being."

"My head is telling me that's nonsense. Just because I love him, I should not lose myself. I should

proceed with my plans and if he really loved me he would bend a little and we would work it out

so that we could have both."

I knew that the last two statements were backwards; but I didn't care. I thought I needed Quinn, he was my life. I thought about my conversation with Gran for a few more days before I called Quinn. I asked him to come to Merlotte's since I figured he could not make a scene. .. In hindsight I should have known better, I screwed myself that night.

Quinn showed up all cocky as if he had the upper hand. It pissed me off he was being such an ass but how could I have ever thought he would be so belligerent. The worst part was he had also been drinking before he got there and ordered a couple of more beers while I tried to explain to him my plan for us.

He wanted nothing to do with it.

I told him I would stay true to him at LSU that I was not the partying type; I would delve into my studies and take classes during the summer so that I was accelerated to graduate sooner. I would come home and visit on all the holidays and be with him as much as possible. If he could come visit me on the weekends we could make this work. I told him I really wanted to be a teacher. That he knew what my dreams were and how could he deny me this. I would have never denied him his dreams.

He wanted **NOTHING** to do with this plan. He told me it was asinine. He told me point blank for all to hear. "If you truly loved me, you would choose me over your silly dreams." I was shocked. I was a total fool, how could I have thought he loved me? He was trying to take away my dreams like he took away my virginity.

I got up to walk away and he shot up from the booth and grabbed my arm. He was shouting, "You are **MINE **and no one else will have you. You are nothing but a white trash, poverty-stricken whore."

I gasped at him and asked for him to please let me go. I yelled back "I am not trash and I am happy with what little I have and I know I am loved by my family and true friends and that's all that matters." He could call me a whore if he wanted to but I knew better and that he was the cheating bastard, not me.

I walked out of Merlotte's and never looked back.


	2. What's Really Real?

**Chapter 2 What's really real? **

Well, I had another month before I was off to LSU. Tara and Amelia had both gotten accepted to LSU and we would be staying in the same dorm but have different roommates. We knew we could make this work. It was hard to leave Gran alone but Jason promised to look after her. Jason knew what my dreams were and he supported me in them.

However, Quinn tried to approach me a couple of times before I left and got pretty violent, so Gran had me get a restraining order against him, so he could not pester me at school.

….. **Like that would work**…..

I was at school for a month and everything was going fine. I liked my classes and I loved my roommate Claudine Crane. She was in her second year. She was a guardian angel for me or if you think the phrase fairy god mother works out better then use that. She showed me the ropes and made sure I knew where everything was. I did not want to be in a fraternity so she made my life bearable.

She also became my confidant about my past life experiences and told me nothing was my fault. She said, "Things happen for a reason and just because I slept with my boyfriend does not make me a whore. I had only one sex partner and that does not make someone a whore."

I confided in her that he was the biggest mistake in my short life and it would be my biggest regret. She told me, "that everyone has at least one of these relationships and if I could learn from my mistakes, I would be ahead of the game".

Claudine was studying to be a Social Worker so I guess I was her test subject.

Well, I was over the moon about school and I was really enjoying it until I got back to my dorm on Friday September 20. I was shocked at what I walked in on. There was a school security officer and police officer waiting there for me. Apparently Quinn had burst into my dorm room and smacked Claudine around while I was out. He wanted to know where his whore of a girlfriend was. Claudine wouldn't tell him. Needless to say, that scared the ever loving beegeezous out me. I thought once I left Bon Temps he would leave me alone, was I ever wrong. I spoke with the police officer and let them know about the restraining order I had and they said they would get a copy and have it extended to Baton Rouge. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

It was then I found out about Quinn's past at LSU. Apparently he had stalked another student here at LSU for two years. They could never prove anything because he was quite careful; the student he was harassing, Catherine Reynolds, would not talk about the incident, it was her dorm mate that brought the situation to the attention of LSU security. Quinn was asked to leave and he never got any certification or degrees in Engineering.

But of course this time he slipped up and had witnesses. He wasn't going to get away from it this time. Claudine and I agreed we would press charges if they ever caught him. He disappeared from the building as soon as he heard one of the other students calling 911. I was afraid to stay; I did not want anyone to get hurt because of me. It was after long talks with both Claudine and my advisors that I decided it was best for me to stay. Quinn would be headed for Bon Temps and if I went back he could get me alone quicker; they felt I was safer here.

I immediately called Gran and Jason and let them know what happened and they said they would pass the word on to everyone in Bon Temps. Gran was gossip central so I was sure by nightfall everyone would know what happened and the Bon Temps Sherriff office would be looking for him. He would not be welcomed there anymore. They told me I was safer where I was and to have fun and enjoy school.

I guess that's just what I needed to do.

By the time I was done with my phone calls, Amelia and Tara made it up to my room and said they were worried about me. Tara stated that she never thought he would be nuts enough to follow me to LSU and terrify me. Amelia never used her father's clout for anything but she immediately got on the phone and called him. Copley was not happy about what happened and said he would use his PI to find Quinn so he could be prosecuted. I felt safer knowing I had friends and family that cared about me and would make sure I was safe.

But in the back of my mind I heard that little voice say

"**For how long are you really safe from him?**"

Well another month had passed and there was no news on Quinn's where abouts, so I was told by everyone that was good news. I carried on with my life the best I could.

My friends, Tara, Amelia and Claudine approached me one afternoon and said I needed to get out; I was cooped up for too long. There was a meet and greet with actors from a TV show and they were visiting a nearby Starbucks. They wanted all four of us to go so we could meet one guy in particular and get his autograph. They all told me they were in full agreement they would not accept a NO as an answer from me; I knew I needed to get out but I had no clue who this actor was.

It was funny that on that same afternoon I got an email from my friend Janice about taking a ride with her to Shreveport for the weekend of October 27th; she wanted me to get away from my troubles and have some fun with her family. I told her I had to take a rain check because I had plans with Tara, Amelia and Claudine. She knew I was in good hands so she did not press the subject.

The Saturday of October 28th was approaching and I was nervous to go out of my comfort zone. But I knew I had to get back on the horse and deal with my anxiety. Well I was told by the girls there was a new Vampire TV show that started last fall called "Blood Moon" and the guy they wanted to meet was one of the main characters. He was a Werewolf, the leader of the wolves, but according to the show, he was called the Packmaster; I had no clue what they were talking about. I never watched much TV so I was clueless. They told me he was about 6'5" tall, built like a brick wall, curly thick black hair with green eyes. His name was Alcide Herveaux and he was a local boy from Shreveport, funny I never heard of him before but I was going with them anyways so I could appease their worries for me about becoming a hermit.

We arrived at the Starbucks and the place was packed, so we had to wait in line for our turn. The girls told me there were a couple of other cast members there, but they really didn't care about meeting them; just the hunk sitting in the last chair at the table. He had a great smile and I was intrigued but not enough to let my guard down. I was getting real fidgety; I felt like I was being watched so I kept looking around but I did not see any one, but I am sure I sensed something.

I asked the girls if they wanted a latte my treat and they all said yes; we had already been standing in line for over an hour and I needed to get away from everyone. I needed to calm down.

As I stood in the coffee line, I noticed a tall blond man standing to the side, watching all the action. It seemed odd how he had dark glasses on and a ball cap, it looked like he was avoiding the confrontations of the meet and greet hoopla. He noticed me watching him and smirked; he had a nice smile when he let it out, but then one of the show's people walked up to him and they spoke quietly.

I then turned away to mind my own business. The girls were still a mile away from the table when it would be my turn to order so I knew I still had plenty of time. Again with my spider sense, I knew someone was watchin me but I couldn't seem to figure out who or where they were standing. I was getting bored standing in the order line so I had turned sideways again and began watching the tall blond man.

I think I shocked him a bit when I politely asked him if he wanted anything. He quietly told me, "No thank you."

Well that was out of my comfort zone, I thought to myself, why was I comfortable with this stranger? I was even able to speak to him. Hmmmm, I will have to think about that later.

I placed my order and stepped to the side to wait, while waiting for my lattes I noticed I was being stared at so I smiled back at him. I caught him off guard again and he turned beet red. Hmmm something else to think about later, I have never made a man blush before.

Why was I so comfortable with him? I collected my order and walked by the man in question and said quietly, "Nice meeting you." He just smiled. It was a beautiful smile that just made me melt.

I bounced back to the girls with our order and waited in line with them. It was another fifteen minutes before we made it to the front of the line. Conveniently we had finished our lattes and I had discarded the garbage, just in time. Tara, Amelia and Claudine were all so excited when we finally got up to Alcide so that they could get his autograph and I could get a picture of us with him as a group. We were told you were only allowed one per person so I agreed to use my picture as a group shot of us, since I was clueless to who he was. As we were getting ready for our picture, I saw the blond man walk casually over to the back of the table; he moved in and stood beside Alcide. It was odd that he took off his glasses and hat. I wasn't too sure what was going on behind us but everyone was squealing in the line that followed us. The picture was taken and Amelia turned around to say thank you to Alcide and about fainted. I was clueless, so I made our apologies for holding up the line and ushered the girls out. The screaming continued but as I walked by the blond man, he quietly said to me "Nice meeting you too" so I just smiled back.

It did not go unnoticed by the girls that I had spoken to the blond man. That somehow I knew him. Who the hell was he?

As we started to go outside, I saw him being ushered out of the front room and into the back offices. Again who the hell was he? As I watched him, the girls started bombarding me with questions. Flustered, I finally told them to stop. I told them we needed to move away from the side door so we weren't blocking it. As we walked toward the parking lot, I noticed the blond was being ushered into a waiting vehicle in back corner of the building. He noticed me too and we both waved goodbye to one another at the same time. He smiled, I blushed, what a pair we are.

Tara spoke up this time since I was only taking one question at a time. "Sook how the hell do you know Eric Northman?"

My response was, "Who the hell is Eric Northman?"

Claudine and Amelia looked at me, dumbfounded. The girls proceeded to tell me that Eric Northman is the star of "Blood Moon"; he was the main character and vampire in charge.

"OOHH" I said "he was just a nice guy I spoke to while I was waiting in line for our lattes."

They all just looked at me like I was nuts. He was handsome and I couldn't wait to see our picture to see what he looked like without the glasses and cap. I smiled, knowing I had a small crush on this guy I would never see again. So why was I even bothering to get excited over seeing what he looked like in my picture? That was another thought for later. Much later when I was by myself…

…..Fantasy material…YUP…..

Amelia stated we needed to leave Starbucks parking lot and pointed to Walgreens so we could get my picture developed so each one of us could have our own picture. Amelia offered to pay for all four pictures plus a frame for each one of us. We all thanked her. We walked over all high on the experience, but I felt like I was being watched and followed, I kept looking around for Quinn but I did not see him. I did not want him to ruin my first experience out of the walls of LSU. The girls saw I was twitchy so I told them what was up and that while we were in Starbucks I had the same feeling. They all became very watchful. They wanted my day to be a good one, too.

As we waited for the pictures to be developed, we walked around Walgreens. Of course, Amelia found items she needed, as did Tara; they were taking forever. I was good to go, as was Claudine, but where did she go? She was just standing beside me.

As I walked back to the photo counter, I heard the clerk arguing with a man; this very same man was at Starbucks a few minutes ago. He was not happy that the clerk was not giving him copy of the picture we had just taken next door with the "Blood Moon" cast.

The clerk told him, "He was not allowed to have one of our pictures without our verbal permission." The mystery man told the clerk, "he would not take **NO** for an answer", the clerk was only trying to do his job correctly; so being the good girl I am I spoke up and asked what the problem was.

The man turned around rather flustered and introduced himself as Bobby Burnham from "Blood Moon", okay, and I thought to myself, so what. He said he was asked by Mr. Northman to acquire a copy of the picture you girls had taken with him and Mr. Herveaux. Bobby Burnham never told me why Mr. Northman wanted a copy of the picture, he just said that Mr. Northman wanted him to get one and to try and get our names. That Mr. Northman would be extremely grateful if we obliged.

I thought for a moment that this guy was full of shit when the person I saw speaking to the blond man at Starbucks walked up to him and told him to hurry up that they were leaving. I made the decision to give permission to the clerk for the photo to be made and purchased by Mr. Burnham. However, when giving our names I only gave first names but at least I put them in the order we stood in the picture….. Smart of me huh…. Before leaving, Mr. Burnham handed me an autographed photo of Mr. Northman that simply stated "Nice meeting you, Eric."

I thanked Mr. Burnham and he walked away.

I turned bright red and my knees buckled.

What the hell was that? Why did it affect me that way? Why did he want our picture?

So many questions and no one to answer them.

The girls headed back to me as I was getting my composure back. They noticed I had a picture in my hand and retrieved it from me. They all gushed. They wanted to know what the hell I said to Eric that would have him tracking me down and giving me a signed picture with a special message. I told them I had no clue; I was just nice and polite to him. I told the girls Mr. Northman wanted a copy of our picture with our names. They all got excited; way too excited until I told them I only gave our first names.

Tara's comment was, "Damn it, Sookie, how is he supposed to find us if you only gave him our first names?"

I just shook my head and laughed.

Amelia paid for our pictures and we all walked out of the store.

There was some commotion outside of Walgreens but Tara and Amelia directed me towards the car so we could go back to the LSU campus. I ended up not looking around and just got into the car, I figured the commotion was due to the actors next door at Starbucks.


	3. Your Latte Awaits!

**Chapter 3 Your Latte awaits!**

**EPOV**

OMG! I had to blink; I thought I was seeing things. I wanted to pull my glasses down, just to make sure of what I was looking at, but I knew if I did I would be seen by all the crazy fans. I saw a vision; a blonde, curvy vision of beauty. OMG - my heart was skipping, what the hell was wrong with me? I was never affected this way by a woman, let alone one that was a fan of the show.

I hated meet and greets, fans get too crazy but I told Alcide I would go with him and be his ghost support. I was not putting myself through the lineup of fans for three hours, no way in hell. I am polite to them when they approach me but I cannot sit there for three hours anymore - not after one crazy fan stalked me for months. Debbie Pelt was all kinds of crazy and she was getting worse by the minute until the police finally caught her trying to break into my home; she told them I was her boyfriend.

After she was caught and interrogated, the police checked her home and found out she was not only stalking me but Alcide as well. What a nightmare. It's one of the reasons why I like to stay in the shadows and not be so public any more. The other reason was because I could never find a nice girl who would like me for me. Anymore, woman just wanted to be with me so that they could share in the limelight. I just broke up with one such fame hound and I did not want that anymore. You know 15 minutes of fame and all …. How was I suppose to find anyone if I was always being photographed and stalked? A normal girl would never want anything to do with me or my life….

Hence, the stopover we had planned in Shreveport. Alcide and I were to leave right after the meet and greet event in Baton Rouge and head to his families' home in the northern corner of Shreveport...

Alcide was from Shreveport and his sister Janice said she knew of a nice girl I should meet. That she was being stalked by an ex-boyfriend from her hometown and she wanted nothing to do with him anymore, that her relationship with the ex had been over for quite a while now. Janice said she thought I would understand and we could commiserate on our pain due from our stalkers. I thought she was nuts but I was going to allow it. It couldn't hurt.

Anyway, back to the blonde curvy vision of beauty. I just stood in the back of the room by the exit and watched her. She seemed nice; she seemed nervous, but I figured that was from waiting to meet a TV star. I watched her and her friends some more. They were talking about the event to her like she knew nothing about why they were here.

Could it be possible?

Why was she here if she did not know who Alcide or the rest of the cast members here were?

Odd…

As I watched some more, I saw her nervously look around like she was being watched and she felt it. I knew I was watching her but she was looking in every other direction than mine. So I watched her some more. People watching had been a sport of mine that no one knew about. I always liked to do it before I became famous; now it's difficult because I am easily recognized. I watched the other people around her and they were all focused on the prize at the end of the line; a picture or autograph of a star.

A half hour must have gone by as I watched the little blonde start to settle down. She looked out the window to her left but I did not see anything. I wonder what she thought she saw or felt. It was then I saw the tall bald guy watching her intently.

He looked like a predator who was watching his prey.

I did not like it but I was unsure of what he was up to. I alerted the staff of "Blood Moon" about the man and they alerted the security officer here to control the crowd. He must have seen the officer approaching because he disappeared. How odd …

I spoke with the officer and gave him a description of the man. He called it in to the Baton Rouge police department and he told me he thought it sounded like a man who he knew was wanted for questioning in a stalking case at LSU. There was a warrant issued for his arrest for physical assault. Shit was this man after the blonde or was he looking for his next victim?

As the next hour wore on, I noticed the blonde and her friends moving closer to the table. She was fidgeting again.

What was up with her?

She asked her friends if they wanted a latte, her treat, they all responded yes. How funny, she was coming closer, do I say anything to her or just watch some more?

As she stood in line, she noticed me up against the wall. I did not move and I knew she could not see my eyes because of my dark glasses, so I was safe. As I stood there looking at her and her at I, I let a small smirk leave my lips and she just smiled. It was then that Felicia from our production staff walked over to me to let me know they thought it would be another hour before everyone in the line got through. I told her that was fine; I was fine, not to worry about me. She asked me if I needed anything and I told her no and she went back over to stand behind Alcide.

As Felicia walked away, I thought I saw the blonde turn and face me again and she was silently watching me. We watched each other which seemed like forever but it was only a matter of minutes. I watched her say something to me and it took a minute to sink in; she asked me "if I wanted anything when she placed her order." I was thrown a little; did she seriously ask me if she could buy me a cup of coffee or latte? To say the least, I was shocked but I said back as quietly as I could "No thank You". People would notice my voice if I said it too loudly so I had to remain calm and quiet.

This day had definitely turned out better than I thought it would. I was not being mobbed and I was flirting with a girl who had no idea who I was. It was perfect. As I was thinking about talking to the blonde (damn I wish I knew her name, the blonde is not right, doesn't feel comfortable at all) I saw her watching me again while she waited for her order to be called up. It took me a minute but I was feeling good but comfortable with this woman and I saw her smiling at me. Again it caught me off guard and I know I turned beet red. I don't normally blush but this woman was definitely my downfall. She was killing me without words or touch. How could this be?

I watched her pick up her order and as she walked by me she said "Nice meeting you," all I could do was smile. Who was this woman? I needed to meet her one on one. Was that even possible today during a meet and greet? Hell No, it wasn't, I was screwed.

She bounced back to her friends and gave them their lattes. As they waited, they talked a bit and as they finished their drinks, the blonde disposed of their trash. I thought that rather polite, most people just put their garbage down and walk away. They tried explaining to the blonde the procedures on how a meet and greet works; that you were only allowed 1 picture or 1 autograph from 1 actor. It was rather fun to watch and learn that she was clueless to why she was there; I think she was just there to be with her friends. Her friends all wanted Alcide's autograph so she said she would ask for a group picture of the four of them with Alcide, priceless.

Call me late for dinner if you want to but I came up with a sly idea. I could step into their picture without them knowing and try to get her name that way. It was perfect or so I thought. As I approached the table, I saw Alcide get up from his chair so he could get into the group shot. I walked a little quicker to get over there in time and as I got closer I took off my glasses and cap; I smiled at Alcide and then the Blonde. She saw me approach and I knew she was curious who I was and why did I came over to their photo opt, I could see it in her eyes. But I said nothing.

I smiled behind the group who did not know I was there and that is when all chaos broke out. Everyone but the four girls in front of me were squealing; it was deafening. Once the picture was taken and the camera handed back to the owner, one of the friends turned around. She turned white as a ghost and about fainted when she saw me standing next to Alcide. The blonde made apologies to us for holding up the line and started to usher her friends away. Before she got too far away, I quietly told her "Nice meeting you, too." She smiled at me, I was in heaven.

As her friends were grilling her, Bobby Burnham and Felicia ushered me to the back office to get away from the crowd so they could finish up. I could not tell what was happening with her once I hit the back office but I told Felicia and Bobby I needed to find out who she was and I needed a copy of that picture. They told me it was impossible since it was their camera.

I told Bobby, "I don't care what you do; get me a copy of that damn picture and I want names." I am usually not this impossible and I never use my star power for anything but I needed that picture. My life depended on it.

Bobby figured it was best if I waited in the limo before the crowd came out and saw me get into it to leave. I agreed and when we walked out the backdoor of Starbucks, it was then that I saw her in the parking lot with her friends. I waved goodbye to her and smiled as she waved to me and blushed. What a pair we are.

As Bobby started to approach the girls to find out how to obtain a picture the girls turned and walked over to Walgreens. He came back to the car and asked what to do. I told him in no uncertain terms was he to come back from Walgreens without a photo and names. He was useless, I don't know how he maintains the producer job he has. I also gave him an autographed photo of me with a personalized message; I told him to make sure the blonde girl received the photo.

I watched the girls walk next door only because I made the driver move up a bit so I could watch her some more. I noticed her getting fidgety again and she seemed very nervous. She spoke to her friends quickly and they all started scanning the parking lot. It was then I realized that bald guy was after her. What had she ever done to deserve a stalker except being gorgeous? I let Felicia know I thought I saw the bald guy again so she ran inside to get the security officer. He came out and called for back up. The girls had no clue what was happening since they were inside so I was hoping he would get caught before they came back out.

We waited in the car for a few minutes before two black and whites showed up and spoke to the security officer at Starbucks. He told them we saw the bald guy again so they started to do a search of the parking lots. As they turned to go toward Walgreens, we saw someone bolt for a muscle car on the side of the building; the police officers noticed it, too. They chased the suspect and got to the car before it took off. Felicia got out of the limo to see what was happening and saw that they did indeed have the bald guy, what were the odds that I was right.

We watched a little bit more unfold in front of us and the bald guy was pissed. He actually had the nerve to punch one of the officers. That earned him a night stick to the knees. I was hoping this would all be over by the time the girls came back out to leave. But I guess you can only be lucky once. As I sat and waited, Alcide came out the backdoor of Starbucks with Jessica, Chow and Ginger. I let the group know what was going on so we sat in the limo and waited for a little while. Besides we had to wait for Bobby; he still wasn't back yet. What the hell was taking him so long? Did he not talk to the girls yet? It wasn't a difficult job. Was IT? I sent Felicia after Bobby maybe she could get the photo instead since she was a woman approaching a woman.

I saw two of the girls exit Walgreens and look around. It was the one who looked like a soccer mom that noticed there were police cars and just who happened to be sitting in one of them. The olive skinned girl said "FUCK" loud enough for us to hear in the limo. What the hell was going on? They slowly turned around and went back into the store.

Bobby walked out shortly thereafter and the girls were not too far behind him. Shit, I did not want them to see what was going on especially if the bald guy was after one of them. On my request, we waited a few extra minutes. I saw the olive skinned girl and soccer mom usher the group directly to a small 4-foor sedan and leave the parking lot quickly. Thank God. I was so relieved it was over for them.

Just then the security officer tapped on the window of the limo and asked to talk to Felicia again before we left. He needed to get information from her so that she could be contacted about the trial.

There was definitely going to be a trial? What they hell did we step into?

I asked for the officer to come into the limo so we could talk in private. I didn't need the fans seeing us sitting in the limo talking. I asked him about the guy in custody so he gave us the short version about how he had stalked a LSU coed 3 years back and no charges were pressed. But this time was different. He followed his ex-girlfriend from back home to LSU; stalked her and beat up her dorm roommate. This time both of them are pressing charges; he won't get away. What also will help keep him in jail is he punched an officer and resisted arrest. He basically screwed himself this time.

The officer told us this guy is an animal and jail will do him good, hopefully he gets put away for a long time because if he doesn't that poor girl will probably end up dead. I did not like hearing that. I would not know which girl it was of the four of them from the picture until the trial came to be.

I asked the officer, "What else was needed?"

He said, "That when the trial came around that Felicia would have to be there since she was the one who reported the incident."

I told him it was actually me that noticed everything; Felicia was acting in my steed because I did not want to cause a commotion with the fans.

He said I was unaware of that but I will keep in touch with you to let you know if either of you needed to be there or give depositions when it was coming time for the trial.

He handed me a business card, his name was Detective Coughlin; he was an off duty cop helping out with security issues for the weekend. I guess we lucked out with that one. I would have hated for the girl to have been hurt or abducted at our event.

We thanked him for the update and we headed for the hotel.


	4. Much Ado About Nothing

**Chapter 4 Much ado about nothing**

**EPOV**

After we cleaned up at the hotel, Alcide rented a car so we could make the four hour drive to Shreveport. But since Alcide had a lead foot, we would make it there in just over three hours. I wasn't too sure if I would enjoy this visit. I wanted something normal and I guess Alcide's family would have to do. I did not have my own family anymore; everyone had passed away, except for my stepmom but she was a world away. The closest thing I had to family was Alcide and Pam.

As we drove, we were quiet for a little while and then Alcide decided he wanted to talk.

"Eric, what was up with the whole stalker situation?

"Did you know the girl?"

"How did you figure out something was wrong?"

I told him, "Remember the pretty blonde in that picture?"

"Hell yeah, she was hot."

"Well I was people watching her and she was people watching me. I saw her start to fidget and look around but she did not see anything and then she shrugged. I noticed this bald dude hiding in a corner and I let Felicia know and she told security. Well, he high tailed it out of there and went outside but never left. "

"Well did pretty blonde say anything to you?"

"Yeah, she asked me if I wanted a latte or coffee." Alcide's mouth dropped open…

"Seriously, she asked me if I wanted something. I was shocked to say the least."

"But the funny part of the whole thing dude, was she had NO CLUE who you were or who I was. None Nadda, Nilche, Nothing."

"She was doing this for her friends. I sent Bobby into Walgreens after the group to get a copy of the picture they took; I was making the assumption they were getting it developed."

"Well did he get it for you or did Bobby fuck up as usual?"

"Alc, Bobby so fucked up. He got the picture and only got their first names, no fuckin last names so now how the hell am I supposed to find her? He did give her the autographed picture I sent in to her, so at least he accomplished that much."

"Alc, I don't know what it was about her but she could be my soul mate. She made me blush for god's sake and we hadn't even talked yet. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Dude, we will figure it out; we can always go back to Baton Rouge and the LSU campus and look for her. Plus there's always the trial so you could see her there."

"But what if it's not her?" Alcide just shrugged.

"I don't know if I can wait that long Alc, I have never felt this way before about anyone."

"Do you think your mom and sister could help me with this problem, give me advice? "

"Do you think I could ask them?"

"Do you think they will talk to me about it?"

"Shit dude, I am so screwed." At least Alcide agreed I was not in the best position with this situation.

We sat in silence again and I was trying to come up with options. I was failing miserably. I was not a good strategist when I did not have all the information. It was my biggest down fall, shit I was going to lose her before I even had her.

A few hours later we arrived at Alcide parents' house. I knew Alcide's family had wealth but this was over the top. I would have never thought he would leave his families' status and wealth to be an actor. But I guess he had something to fall back on.

Alcide's mom and sister Janice met us out front as we pulled in. Janice was a cute kid but not my type and from what I understand I wasn't her type either, she went for the nerdy type. Janice apologized to me that her friend couldn't make it this weekend; she had prior commitments. I told Janice not to worry, maybe next time. I wouldn't have been good company anyway; I couldn't get the blonde out of my head. What was her name? Oh yeah Sookie, out of my head…

I spent the weekend talking to Alcide's mom about this girl I kind of met. I told Mrs. Herveaux that I actually felt something for this girl even though I did not know her. I have never had these kinds of feelings before and it was throwing me off. I was not too sure how to deal with them, should I tuck them away or deal with the head on? Mrs. Herveaux said if it was meant to be I would meet her again; but I needed to be patient because it could be a while. I loved Alcide's family and they told me I was welcome to come to their home anytime I needed to get away with or without Alcide. That included all the holidays; I would always have an open invitation as I was part of the family now.

I talked to Janice a little bit over the weekend about school and her friend but we never really spoke specifics. Janice just let me know that she never told her friend I would be there so I was good. She said she knew her friend was very guarded and needed some time to relax and she thought her home would be the perfect place. She was going to ask Sookie if she wanted to come with her for Thanksgiving, but she figured she would just be going home to her Grandmother's for the major holidays. But there might be a chance in the future to meet her again on one of the holiday since it seemed I would be spending all of them with the Herveaux's. I told Janice thank you and we would have to see. I was not counting on anything, especially meeting a new girl; I really did not have time for a girl friend with the new season starting. When we got back home to Los Angeles, we would be starting Season Two so we would be in for some long, long nights.

Later on I did have a strange thought about the name Sookie though. How many people in this state have a name like that?

It must be popular if that is the second time I heard that name in less than a day. I really didn't give that too much thought; I figured I would never find the Sookie I wanted desperately to meet.

The weekend passed by rather quickly and we were due back at work on Tuesday. So we said our goodbyes to the Herveaux's and left for California. Janice told us before we left that no one knew she was related to Alcide and she would keep our secret. She wanted us to know that no one would know she met me either. I thanked her and told her I would see her again soon. She was a sweet kid but defiantly not my type.

As we boarded the plane in Shreveport to head back home I told Alcide that I was getting that picture framed and I would figure out as soon as possible who my mystery girl was. He told me, "Good Luck Man, it would be like finding a needle in a fucking hay stack."… A Louisiana state sized Haystack.

Damn I was screwed…. Why did this girl affect me so much?… Shit ….


	5. Douche Bag

**Chapter 5 Douche Bag **

**QPOV**

Damn it, how the hell did I end up here?

Here I sit in my jail cell, trying to figure out what went wrong and when.

I tried to think, since I had nothing else to do, when did my fucked up life start?

I thought back to high school, nope, I was one of the cool kids.

I thought back to my first year of LSU, nope I was one of the cool students, I partied and had fun. My frat was outrageous and I fit right in.

I met this chick, her name was Catherine. She liked me but not enough to have sex with me. She was more or less frigid or you could just call her an ice queen when it came to sex. Sex was sex and I did not know what her problem was. College was supposed to be fun and you were supposed to experiment. RIGHT!

But hell no, not her, the boys in the frat told me to get rid of her since she wouldn't put out; there were more fish in the sea of college girls. But I figured I would win her over sooner or later so I wasn't going to give up on her just yet. I had a certain charm and I knew it. I could nail any girl I wanted and it was fun but I never let on to her that I was cheating on her; that fact would not go over too well.

We dated for a year and still nothing. I was failing my classes each semester. I wasn't interested in engineering, it was so fucking boring. Why the hell did I pick that major anyway, Yuk? Sure I had a free ride with scholarships but there was no way in hell I was going to be an engineer….. BORING….

I was called into the Dean's office and was told I would be put on academic suspension if my grades did not pick up. Damn it. I did not want to go home. I needed to figure something out. I found a student that would help me with my papers; I just had to pay him….. Stan was a geeky dweeb…. If I could have convinced him to take my tests I would have…. He was expensive but worth it.

But Catherine was another matter, I was tense from our dates, she still wouldn't give in. She told me she was saving herself for marriage.

What a load of crap….. Nobody did that anymore, Right!

She flirted with me all the time and we enjoyed each other's company but she put the stop on when I got more aggressive with our petting and make out sessions.

We had been together for about a year, and after the second month into our new school year, she pushed me away one too many times and I snapped.

I attacked her in her dorm room and left.

I took her virginity and I was proud of myself; she was not going to hold that against me anymore. We talked about our future together and possibly getting married so I thought she owed it to me. Fucking Bitch, she would never be able to hold that against me again that was for sure... SHE was MINE now in every way…..

As I was leaving, she swore she would never tell any one what happened but apparently someone heard through the walls and called security. I told her she was mine and I would be letting her know when I would need us to get together again. That she was not allowed to date anyone and I mean anyone else. She never told anyone anything. Security was suspicious of me but no charges were ever filed.

But I was told to stay away from her.

So I did the next best thing, I stalked her.

So for the rest of the year I was her shadow and she knew it.

I made sure no one else could have her. I would win her over and we would leave that place together.

It was early May when I was called to the Dean's office again and asked to not come back the next year; my scholarship was revoked because of my grades. I was pissed. I was also told Catherine was not returning next year; she was transferring to an undisclosed school. Shit how the hell was I to convince her we belonged together?

Well, I got back to Ruston and told Mom and Frannie that I graduated early.

They fell for it hook, line and sinker. Damn, they are stupid bitches…..

I told them I would look for a job in all the local areas; that I would not be paid what I should be since I wasn't in a major city. For the big cash I need to go to New Orleans but I did not want to leave my mom and sister on their own. They needed a man in the house and that was me.

I was looking for a job, any job it didn't matter what it was and I happened upon a shithole while driving, the town was named Bon Temps. How back water can you get? I found this little watering hole, okay Bar and Grille, named Merlotte's and pulled in. As I walked through the door I saw the most beautiful creature there waiting tables, Sookie.

Unlike Catherine, she was beautiful. Catherine was nice to look at but this one - damn she was captivating and gorgeous. And Sookie was young and I could manipulate her easy and SHE was going to be MINE…..

It took me a year but I got what I wanted. I got her to fall for me, easy. And then I convinced her that since we were to be married, sex would be okay. So Sookie gave into me numerous times.

But things started to fall apart. Even though we were having copious amounts of sex, I was not satisfied. So I did what every red blooded man did - I went looking else where. That was normal and felt right. So I ended up finding another girl, younger than Sookie and kept her on the side for about three months. I am not too sure how she found out but when Sookie did, she broke up with me.

It was not supposed to be like that. I was the man; I was in charge; I did the dumping, not her. Besides I was not going to let anyone else have Sookie, she was mine. You know the old saying "having my cake and eating it too"? Well that is what I wanted and that was what I was going to have.

I found out through the grapevine that Sookie was still going to the Prom without me and I was pissed. Then I found out she was taking her piss ant boss, over my fucking dead body….

I approached her several times to talk. I needed to convince her to take me back. We did talk but she would not back down from taking her boss with her to Prom. She was a stubborn BITCH when she wanted to be.

So I did the next best thing, I stalked her and watched… When they got to the hotel, I was all kinds of pissed. I felt an animal coming out of me. I needed to kill her and him. She was MINE. I knew I had to stay hidden or we would never get back together. But it ended up that Sookie got pissed at something Sam did and I did not have to kill her or him. I know this because her boss was carried out of their room and tossed by Tray and JB. I was very pleased…

I decided to wait until the following day and try to get Sookie to meet with me again. I started slow, just talking to her on the phone, to gain her trust again. I thought it was working, I wanted more…. So I asked her if we could meet up and talk in person.

I did the stupid thing when she agreed and started drinking before we met up. I really didn't care because I figured I would nail that bitch again and close the coffin so that she was permanently mine. When she arrived at my house I continued to drink, big mistake. I should have known better but I figured I had her already, due to our phone conversations.

She told me she got accepted to LSU with a full ride scholarship, it was her ultimate dream, remember. I went ballistic. She left and we did not speak for a few days. She met up with me again at Merlotte's but stupid me was drinking again and I went ballistic once again. I know I scared her but I never thought she would get a restraining order against me.

I was not going to put up with that shit. No one was going to have her if I could not have her. I came up with the plan to follow her to LSU and win her back.

But her friends were very protective of her. I watched her for a month and I thought she was alone so I went to her dorm room. She wasn't there but her attractive room mate was, yummy. I yelled first wanting to know where Sookie was, I pushed in the door and it bounced off her roommate. I was in the room screaming at her room mate but she wasn't talking. Not ONE word.

So I tried intimidation; she still wasn't talking. What the hell was wrong with this bitch? I was pissed at this point. I started to smack her around but still nothing; she never even cried. It pissed me off even more, so I started to use my fists. I know I got a few good punches in because she fell to the floor but she still never said a word about Sookie's where abouts. The bitch didn't even cry, so I picked her up and slammed her into the wall. By that time, her dorm mates from next door came to her aid so I booked out of there. They all saw me but I didn't care. I knew nothing would happen again, she would be too damn scared to tell anyone. **Was I ever wrong**!

As I was leaving the building, I noticed the cops and campus security were showing up so I high tailed it out of the building. But I was curious like a cat on what everyone knew and I wanted to find out what was happening so I pulled out all my charm and asked one of the girls on the street what was up? She said there was an attack in one of the dorms and a warrant for the suspect's arrest was issued a little while ago. So the campus police have called us all together so we can be advised on the situation and watch out for one another. SHIT... SHIT… SHIT

So my only option now was to lay low and play it safe. I was not going to jail because of that bitch. So I decided to stalk Sookie instead. I saw her look around a few times like she sensed me but she did not see me. I was still safe. I wore a skull cap and glasses so no one would recognize me from the picture that was distributed by the campus police and now hung on all the bulletin boards. Shit I had to be careful now.

So I watched for a month, Sookie never left her dorm alone. She was even escorted to her classes and library. How the fuck was I going to talk to her if she was never alone? She was staying faithful to me as she said she would; she never talked to anyone but females, she never partied, she never went any where. I was proud of her; she was staying committed to me. I owned her and she knew it. I ruined her for any other man and I knew eventually she would come running back to me. I just had to watch and wait.

Another month passed and we were coming into October she decided to venture out. It was odd that she went with her girlfriends but she went to a Starbucks with them. What the hell - Sookie didn't like that froufrou shit.

I watched her from a secure location outside and then I begun to move into the store. I stayed in a secluded corner and just watched. I wondered why she would come here with her friends, she doesn't watch TV. She never did… I kept thinking to myself, if only she would walk my way, I could get to her but she did not leave her friends' company. She talked and laughed with her friends but then I saw an opportunity - she asked her friends if they wanted coffee but it was too crowded and busy for me to get to her. Fucking too many people…

I watched her for a while from my spot but she started to piss me off when she started to eye fuck this blond guy in the corner. It made my blood boil, she was my girl not his. I could not tell what he was doing to her because his eyes were covered by his sunglasses but I wasn't happy.

She watched him and every so often I would see him smirk. Then a smile. She even blushed. God damn it, that blush belong to me not him….

I moved from my hiding spot, I needed to get closer. I saw her fidget and look around. Oh shit, did she notice me? I hoped not. I needed to be stealthy.

I watched the blond hair guy look around a bit and I thought he was staring at me. I couldn't tell because of the sunglasses. I felt eyes on me so I went quickly out the door and hid outside. I knew I needed to be more careful now since I thought someone was watching me.

I watched from outside, I could see that Sookie asked the blond guy a question. I wish I knew what it was; it was burning my britches not to know. What were they talking about? It was a short conversation, but it still annoyed me.

She walked away from the counter with the coffees, but something was said very quickly between them and the dude had the nerve to smile at her. Fuck him, she was MINE.

She went back over to her friends and they talked for a while and then they finally approached the first table. The girls were all giddy about whoever it was behind that damn table. When it was Sookie's turn, she handed somebody her camera. The dark hair guy then got up for a picture and then the blond hair guy approached. Who the hell was he? The crowd went wild but Sookie and her friends did not see him until after the picture was taken. Sookie's friends went nuts. Sookie looked clueless. But Sookie did say something to the blond as they walked away.

I watched the blond guy be taken away but not before security started looking for someone or something. I high tailed it out of there so I wouldn't be seen. I hid behind Walgreens.

I watched the girls walk out to the parking lot, but Sookie was watching the back parking lot instead of her friends. What caught her eye? I then watched her group go into Walgreens, which still gave me an opportunity to get to her. There were less people in the drug store. I paced beside the side of the building, what the hell was taking her so long inside; it was a drug store, for god's sake.

What the hell were they doing?

The next thing I noticed was the security guard from Starbucks looking around. So I slid quickly behind the building but my car was on the opposite side so I needed to be careful getting over to it. But what I did not see was the two squad cars showing up while I was trying to get to my car.

By that time, it was too late to get away on foot. They trapped me at my car.

**Shit I was screwed**.

So now I sit and wait in my jail cell.

What am I waiting for?

….**I am waiting for my fucking trial**….

I am being charged with:

2 Counts of stalking (Catherine and Sookie)

2 Counts of battery (Catherine and Claudine)

1 Count of Rape (Catherine)

1 Count of resisting arrest

1 Count of battery of an officer of the law

I was screwed. I was unable to get bail because I was a flight risk.

I was given a public defender, shit I am screwed now, how the hell am I going to beat this rap with a FUCKING public defender?

One of my first questions to Johan Glassport was how did the cops know I was even there? He said someone from the staff of the show, the ones who were visiting Starbucks that day, saw me lurking and advised security.

Who the hell was that? I'll kill them.

I knew I would find out at the trial because they would have to be there. And I would make sure they knew I was not happy about it.

Would Sookie ever believe me that I was not going to hurt her?

I loved her.

I was obsessed with her.

**SHE IS MINE **

I was fucked.

Author note: I know most of you hate Quinn, but he is important in what is coming up so please bear with me.


	6. Oh Shit Moment

**Chapter 6 Oh Shit Moment**

As we left Walgreens, I saw relief hit my friends' faces. Something was up but I did not know what the hell it was. We were about 15 minutes away from the dorm still and I wanted to know what was up. So I made a general statement to see if I could get Tara, Amelia or Claudine to talk.

"Well that was a lot fun; I had a great time; we should do it again sometime". Nothing came back to me; it was like crickets had entered the car and they were sitting next to me. "Come on guys what's up? We were having fun; now you all are like Zombies"…. Nothing, damn what the fuck..

"Seriously, if this is how you show a friend a good time I for one do not want to do it anymore…"

As we got closer to LSU, Amelia started stammering a little trying to say something but it was not coming out right. So Tara took over.

"Sook we have something to tell you but we want to wait till we are back in the dorms, can you wait another 5 minutes, PLEASE?" I figured I did not have a choice, so I answered sure.

As we pulled up at the dorm parking we all exited Amelia's sedan and headed up to mine and Claudine's room. I guess they figured what ever they needed to tell me would be best said there. I figure they thought it was my comfort zone.

I had been working through my issues since Claudine's attack and I knew I was doing better, but what the hell happened that they needed to wait to talk to me. Shit it can't be good. Is that why Amelia and Tara had disappeared for so long? Biscuits and gravy.

As we got up the stairs, campus security and the police officer from Claudine's attack were waiting at our room. Shit what has Quinn done this time and to whom?

The girls became nervous and could not look at me. I knew then they knew what happened but never got the chance to tell me. Oh Shit…. How bad was it?

The officers smiled at us and asked if we would be more comfortable in the dorm room or lounge area to talk. Since there were six of us I spoke up and said lounge area. So we walked down to the other end of the hall to the TV/lounge area.

Campus security got a phone call so detective spoke first. "Well girls we have good news for you all."

I smiled, something good happened… Did they catch Quinn? Why did the Detective look so familiar to me?

The Detective said that a call was sent to BRPD(Baton Rouge Police Department) about a suspicious character stalking the Starbucks today and it was checked out and they found the person in question next to the Walgreens next door. He resisted arrest and has been put in jail.

We all sighed heavily. I started to cry and the detective noticed right off the bat.

He said, "Miss, are you okay, I thought you would be happy? We caught your stalker and her attacker and he will be put away for a long time. We have spoken to his previous victim and since you all are going to press charges, she wants to press charges along with you, she was afraid no one would believe her so that is why she said nothing three years ago. We have a strong solid case so this predator is not going to get away; we did everything by the book, no loop holes here."

Sookie looked up at the detective. She smiled her sweet smile and let him know that her tears were from joy and sorrow. She continued by saying, "I am happy he got caught; he needs to rot in jail. But I am sorrowful because I once loved this man and my heart aches for him. He did awful things to me and Claudette and he needs to be punished but I am still feeling sorry for him and his family."

Sookie then said, "Detective, can I ask a couple of questions please?" He just nodded yes.

"Who called in the threat?''

"What was Quinn doing at Starbucks and Walgreens?" But she already knew the answer to that one.

"Do we need to make a statement or go to the police station?"

"Why do you look so familiar? Do I know you?"

By this time, the security guard came back to hear her questions and stood beside Detective Coughlin and the campus security guard started smiling, he looked as happy as a pig in shit, it was a bit scary.

The detective began to talk. "First let me say, my name is Detective Coughlin, I am the lead detective on your case and I was here the day of Claudine's attack. As for who called in the threat that is a bit complicated but I will explain it the best I can. As for what Mr. John Quinn was doing at the location in question and I am sure you ladies have guessed, he was stalking you Miss Stackhouse, we assume he was trying to get you by yourself so he could grab you and run. We are still waiting on Mr. Quinn's statement. It seems our predator tried to resist arrest again once he was taken from the police car to his jail cell. Not a very smart person to try to get away from four police officers while his hands are in cuffs."

"As for your other two questions, I will answer your last question first and then we will deal with who called in the threat. Is that acceptable?"

"Okay, first I look familiar for the reason I said above, I am the head detective on your case so you may have seen me the day of the attack on Claudine. Second and this is the important one or I think it is. I work off duty as a security guard at Meet and Greet events and I happened to be the security guard assigned to Starbucks today, lucky coincidence I guess."

Sookie and the girls just smiled and nodded at the officer.

Sookie spoke up before he continued. "Yes I did see you there you were talking to the staff of the show a couple of times, correct?" The detective just smiled at Sookie and told her she was very observant.

Detective Coughlin spoke up again and tried to explain her first question in a much detail as he could. "Girls first I must ask you to let me tell you how the sequence of events today happened and then I will let you ask questions, plus I believe the security guard here may have more positive information for you. Is this acceptable?"

All four girls nodded.

"I believe, Miss Stackhouse, you have a guardian angel of sorts."

Sookie gasped and just shook her head, "My stars, how could that be?" She thought she said it in her head but she actually said it out loud. The detective chuckled as did the girls...

So the detective continued.

"Well apparently one of the show's people was watching from the side of the room and noticed you fidgeted a lot while standing in the line with your friends. He said you looked around a lot but never at anything in particular. That you would calm down for a little while and then start again. He stated that once you left the line and joined the line to get some coffee, you started to fidget again. By that time, he had noticed a rather large bald man staring you down from inside the building and then from the parking lot. He said he thought he was trying to get closer to you before he went out the front door. He only left the premises because I had been alerted and I was looking for him. The gentleman did not know who you were or he was but he was kind enough to alert us. Let me say this Miss Stackhouse, you have very good instincts and you use them wisely. Do not ever go against them when you feel threatened. So apparently your guardian angel watched you for a while, but the man in question never came back in the store. It was then while you were in the parking lot that the staff member noticed you fidget and look around the parking lot again.. I am assuming at this time you alerted your friends that you were uncomfortable since they too starting looking around. It was while you were in Walgreens that the staff member saw Quinn again and alerted me. I called for backup. Quinn did not see the squad cars pull up but we caught him as he was trying to escape. But he threw a punch at the arresting officer and they took him down with a night stick. He is now sitting in the BRPD jail cell."

"Do you have any questions you would like to ask me? One thing I can tell you is that a few of the staff members of Blood Moon will be at the trial or give depositions when needed. They want to see this man put in jail and want him to stay there. Also keep in mind this staff member did not have to step forward nor did he have to stick his neck out for you. He said he was concerned and he could not stop himself from helping out. Again, you have a special guardian angel."

I mulled over what he said for a few minutes as did the girls and then we all started to rapid fire questions. It was pretty funny because the detective was not used to four women yelling at him and asking him questions at the same time (amateur). LOL

But before the detective would answer any of our questions, the campus security officer asked to speak first.

So we all backed down a bit and told him to go ahead.

He told us he had some good news. Well I was excited; I don't know about anyone else. I still felt bad for Quinn's family. But now I was going to finally feel safe again.

Bob from the campus security office said he was notified by the BRPD about Quinn being arrested and that he was now currently sitting in a jail cell, awaiting arraignment. Once the officers left him he started mumbling to his cell mate that they had the wrong guy. But the strange coincidence was that they had been recording his cell mate for a while, it seems he is schizophrenic. They had been trying to decipher why exactly Franklin Mott had marched into the BRPD and asked to be locked up so he wouldn't hurt anyone else. Well the microphone is on 24/7 and was on when Quinn started to talk to his cell mate. The police officer who had been monitoring Quinn's cell mate Franklin had come to the realization that after about a half an hour Quinn realized his cell mate was the perfect confidant since his mind wasn't all there. Quinn figured that Franklin could never testify against him because he would not remember anything that Quinn might say to him. He also figured Franklin was not all mentally there so the police department could not use him as a witness. Quinn had stated this all to his cell mate not knowing he was being recorded.

"It took a while but Quinn started to talk to Franklin about how he did what he did out of love. That he was obsessed with this woman and Sookie was his. No one else was going to get to be with her, he would never allow that to happen."

Apparently he quieted down for a bit and the BRPD was looking forward to what else he would say at a later date. At the same time, both Detective Coughlin and Bob the campus security guy smiled.

So I asked why they were both so happy.

Detective Coughlin said since the microphone was already active and was already authorized to be there, Quinn would soon put a nail into his coffin when he spoke with Franklin again; the recording would be admissible as evidence against Quinn. That once his lawyer asked for full disclosure of the evidence in the case, he would then be told about the recordings, but until that happened they were good to go and there was light at the end of the tunnel to Quinn being locked away for a very long time.

Well, we all had questions now.

I asked, "Does Quinn know who called in the suspicious person alert?" I was told no.

Hell I did not even know who it was who saved my life.

So I asked, "Am I allowed to know?"

Det. Coughlin said "Do you really want to know or do you want to hold off finding out?

I said, "I would like to know, please, I owe this person a thank you for saving my life."

The girls all agreed.

"Well this might come as a bit of a shock to you. The person who was watching over you the whole time you were at Starbucks is a very important person to the show. I was approached by the PR person Felicia from "Blood Moon" to let me know about the person that this other person noticed. He was not too sure who the bald man was watching but it made him uncomfortable none the less, so he proceeded to tell his PR person and she alerted me."

"Miss Stackhouse, Do you really want me to tell who it was? "And then he smirked.

…. Hell Yes I wanted to know, NOW Damn It, why was he drawing this out?...

I just nodded, I was dumbfounded, who was watching me and why didn't I feel him watching me , I thought I felt someone watching me but I guess that was Quinn.

Det. Coughlin continued, "Well your guardian angel was one of the show's main characters; he wasn't there as one of the meet and greet ensemble cast members."

My mouth dropped open... Shit I was catching flies, I knew who it was.

I said to myself Eric Northman.

The girls had no clue but they figured I knew since I couldn't breathe. As I got my breathing back together the detective decided he would end the girl's lack of knowledge.

"It was Eric Northman."

The girls and security officer all gasped. They all turned and looked at me and I was red as a beet.

I did not know what to say or do so I just smiled.

The detective continued, "Apparently Mr. Northman saw this man stalking while watching the crowd. He watched him leave the premises and then again when you were all in the parking lot, he caught another glimpse of Mr. Quinn. He alerted me once again. He said if he is needed for the trial or a deposition he would be here for you."

I was shocked, is that why Eric said it was nice to meet me? Or was there another reason? I didn't want to sound or go off half-cocked. I needed to calm myself down.

So I asked, "Did Mr. Northman know who Quinn was stalking?

Or did he just make him uncomfortable?"

The detective said, "Mr. Northman did not know who Quinn was after until we spoke while he was in his limo. That is when I informed him of your name, Miss Stackhouse. Mr. Northman asked to let you know he is sorry he could not do much more. He was only told your last name, not your first name. I don't know if he suspects which one of you Quinn was after. I guess he won't learn of your true identity until the trial."

"Do you girls have anything else to ask?"

Amelia asked if we needed to be worried about Quinn being released.

The detective said, "No, he will be put way for a very long time, no early release for him."

Well, we all figured our questions were pretty much answered so we told the detective if we had any more questions we would contact him. He gave us his card and he and Bob left us alone.


	7. The Aftermath

**Chapter 7 The Aftermath**

**SPOV**

Well, life got back to normal, after about a week. We were all pretty self conscious while we were out in the open but we had each other to rely on. I think Tara and Amelia were more worried about me than Claudine. That was only because Claudine and I talked nightly so she knew my deep dark secrets and worries. I figured I was already confiding in Claudine; I did not think I needed to express my feelings to them too. Claudine and Gran knowing was enough for me. I spoke to Gran on a weekly basis because she was worried about me and the fallout from the upcoming trial.

It was about a month later; right before Thanksgiving when Tara and Amelia approached me to find out why I closed myself off from them. I told them I was sorry but I did not think I had; we all sat down and had a heart to heart about everything. We even talked about Quinn being in jail. Amelia's dad had found out the state was back logged and they were still putting the case together against Quinn. They figured I was safe and sound with him in jail and they told Copley it might be at least a year before he came to trial.

That was a relief but also a nuisance. I wanted this over; I wanted my life back and I wanted more than anything else to see Eric again.

So life went on at LSU and my studies kept me busy. I was getting good grades so everything seemed to be turning around. My friends kept me occupied and happy. Life was good.

**FINALLY**

All my girlfriends were asking me to spend Thanksgiving with them but I had already told Janice I would go with her since I backed out on her in October.

I was looking forward to visiting her family. She told me her family might have money but they are very laid back …. I did not want to pass judgment so I was waiting until I could meet her family.

Janice had stated she had someone she wanted me to meet. I told her I wasn't ready yet and she told me neither was he but she still wanted us to meet. She thought we could commiserate together on bad relationships and stalkers. I laughed, seriously how does a man end up being stalked…. Well I guess it takes all kinds.

I was looking forward to it since it was a long weekend.

It would be nice to get away from school and relax with someone else's family for once. I let Gran know and she told me to have fun.

Well, Tuesday showed up and we got out of class early so we decided it was a sign for us to hit the road. I told all my friends to have a nice holiday and then Janice and I were off. It took us about five hours but we finally got there.

Their house was huge. I was shocked at the size of it but I was still grateful for the Herveaux's hospitality. Janice's mom and dad would not let me call them by their SIR name, I was told I had to choose to either call them "mom and dad" or "Jackson and Sabrina". I naturally choose mom and dad, it seemed more natural.

The four days we were there went by quickly. We were told on Wednesday night that Alcide and his friend would not be home; they couldn't get away from work. Well I guess it wasn't in the cards for me to meet the mysterious man.

I told Janice maybe some other time I would get to meet her brother and his friend. That I was not in a good place at this time to even be considering meeting anyone so I was good. I appreciated the thought.

Plus I still had my dreams that starred Eric Northman…

We got back to LSU on Sunday and I had early classes the following day.

It was going to be a long three weeks before Christmas break but I knew I needed to keep my grades up for my scholarship so I was trying to stay focused on that.

The only thing that ever got in my way was my daydreams and night dreams about Eric. I caught myself numerous times thinking about the dream from the night before or I would just stare blankly into space and dream about the blond Adonis of a man from Starbucks.

I needed to talk to someone about this and soon.

I figured if I told Amelia or Tara they would tease me.

Claudine would analyze it and I did not want that to happen.

I was not close enough to Janice yet so I kept a tight lip around her too…

Biscuits and Gravy, I needed my Gran…..

It was a godsend when I went home to Gran for Christmas break. I missed her so much and I needed to talk to her about things I could not on the phone.

I told her about Eric and how he made me feel. Even though we did not know each other I still felt like we connected somehow. I told her about how I worried that Quinn would get out and come after me.

She told me everything would work out for the best and to hang in there it would get easier. That the right man was out there waiting for me and I would find him eventually. To hold my head up high and all good things would come to me.

I loved Gran immensely but I was worried she was blowing smoke up my butt; I know she wouldn't but I had my fears and sometimes they would not go away.

The fears showed up in the form of Frannie Quinn, the day before New Year. She yelled at me and told me I needed to drop the charges on her brother so he could come home and take care of her and her mother. I told her I was not the only one with charges against him so even if I did (which I wasn't going to) drop the charges, he would still be held in jail and tried for his other crimes. She would not back off so I called Sheriff Dearborn and he told her to either leave or she would be arrested. She backed off but for how long?

It was during my time at home that I started to think about Eric 24/7.

What else did I have to do?

I knew I shouldn't but I missed him… I left my pictures at school so I only had my memories and my thoughts.

It was sad really; I thought about him all the time. I would go for long walks and talk to him in my head like he was there listening and acknowledging our friendship and bond, it was all I had.

The moon had become my friend at night and I felt like it was my only link to Eric; it felt like he could hear everything I said but just couldn't answer me back.

We were never properly introduced and I did not have a phone number to call him, so this was the way I spoke with him, kind of like Skype but without a computer. I wanted to tell him thank you and I wanted him to know why I felt so comfortable around him. I have never been that way with a guy before, I wanted to explore why I felt this way for him, having these feelings was new to me. I did not know if I liked having these feelings but it made me warm inside.

As I said, he was in my thoughts continuously. I did not stalk him, hell I did not even try to find out anything else about him. I just had my memories. They were wonderful memories and it helped fill my fantasies and day dreams.

**I was in heaven.**

Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went and we would be starting a new year at school.

**Finally I was starting to feel normal again.**

I went back to LSU the second week of January and things went back to the way they were.

School, homework, my girlfriends.

That's all I needed.

I placed two pictures on my night stand beside the picture I had of Gran. I had gotten the meet and greet picture and the autographed photo of Eric framed; it was a nice distressed wood frame. Yes, the frame Amelia had bought us was nice but I wanted it to be more special and from my heart. These two pictures with Eric in them were special to me and I needed them close; every evening I wished him a good night and to be careful and in the morning I wished him a good morning and to stay safe.

I know it was silly but it kept me sane and happy. The girls did not know how I talked to him or they would have put me away in an insane asylum.

Do they even have those kinds of places anymore?

Any way life got back to normal but I did not date….. NO NO NO …. I couldn't, it would have felt too weird. The girls tried to get me to go to keggers and such but I felt uncomfortable and I knew I would not feel myself again until the trial was over.

The trial and everything that had to do with it could not come quick enough.

Janice asked me if I wanted to go home with her in a few weeks for spring break, I could stay a few days with her and then go home and spend the rest with Gran, she would drive me down. She said she did not want me driving alone in my old car; Yeah it has seen better days but it is all mine. I told her I would think about it.

It was now the end of March; school was winding down and coming to an end.

However the girls had previously talked me into watching "Blood Moon" with them in the dorm lounges ever since the meet and greet. I figured what the hell it would give me an extra chance to see Eric every week. You don't know how much that helped me each week. It felt like he was watching me as I was watching him.

….**He was like my lifeline of sorts….**

He made me smile at myself and oddly, he made me happy.

I knew I could not tell anyone my feelings on this; they would have had me in a rubber room real quick.

I loved watching the show and hoped while I was home with Gran I would be able to watch it too. I would probably have to go over to Jason's to watch it but at least I would not miss it.

As the weeks went by, I told Janice I would go with her on Spring Break because it made sense, we could split the costs. She told me not to worry about it; her daddy was paying for them to come home. I knew Janice came from money but she never flaunted it so I told her I would pay for snacks and drinks and she said that was a deal.

We left for Shreveport Saturday morning and arrived five hours later. Janice's dad told us to take our time and not to speed. So we did just that and arrived a little after lunch.

It was fun being there and on Sunday night, we watched "Blood Moon" apparently Janice's family were big fans so it felt good to be able to watch it. Janice never mentioned her family and her siblings, I knew she had a brother but she never talked about him much. I was okay with that, maybe he was a black sheep of the family, but as the week wore on I realized the family was proud of Alcide but just kept private about all family issues. I figured that was cool, then I could stay private about mine too.

Mom was easy to talk to and I told her about growing up with Gran and how I look forwarded to getting home to her as soon as I could. Gran and Jason were my only family and I missed them. Janice took me home on Thursday so that I could stay 5 days with Gran and then she would pick me up the following Wednesday to head back to LSU.

We wanted to get back early to settle in and get some work done for this semester. We both had tough classes and we wanted to do well.

I had a great visit with Gran; I did my walks at night like I did during Christmas break, however I missed doing them while I was at Janice's house.

I felt like I was neglecting Eric and it made me sad… I know, silly me, but that is how it felt to me.

Let me tell you when I would sit under the stars and look up at the moon, it was like I could pour my heart out to Eric and it made me feel 100% better. I told him things I could never tell anyone else. He was my confidant, my friend and my lover.

I say lover because he was the star in my dreams. I never had anyone else as the major player when I needed to take care of myself.

Before you think badly of me, yes a girl has needs to and I fulfilled them with a picture of Eric in my mind. Just call me a dirty bird.

I never once thought of Quinn in these dreams, it was like he never existed, even though he was the only sex partner I ever had.

But with the moon and Eric as my imaginary friends, I knew I could make it through anything that was thrown at me.

We got back to LSU and everything fell into line. The next month and a half went by quickly and it was going to be the end of the year soon and I would be home again for three months. We watched "Blood Moon" every week and I fell for Eric more and more. I knew how silly that sounded but he had a part of my heart I don't think I could have given to anyone else.

I knew when I got home I would have four more episodes I would have to watch at Jason's but I figured he would be out roaming with his friends so I would be able to see Eric in my own private world.

The last day of school we all left together, Claudine promised to come visit during the summer but said we would see each other in September. I knew she was going to be busy because she was interning at her Uncle Fintan's office for the summer so I did not expect to see her.

As I drove home, I was trying to figure out if Sam would let me work at Merlotte's like he said I could. It would give me a little spending money for the fall, Gran was not wealthy by any means so I had to rely on myself to pay for things. Jason was helping as much as he could but I could never rely on Jason to remember to send me any money. I became thrifty and I was okay with that.

My first week home I thought I would be lonely, but I soon found that my friends had rallied around me and kept me busy and I worked at Merlotte's the rest of the time. It was a fun, hard week. The only odd thing about working at Merlotte's was Sam avoided me at all costs, but I was getting pretty good at avoiding him too. After the prom debacle I wanted to lay low.

I always had my walks at night and my Sunday show to look forward to if I was feeling down. So I tried to stay positive or as positive as I could be given the circumstances.

With the end of June came the end of "Blood Moon" and I got a little depressed. It was hard not seeing Eric every week but I knew if I kept busy I would see him again next year. The show was a major hit so I knew it had at least another season.

Silly me, longing for someone who did not even know I existed.

The summer passed without incident and I did not hear from Frannie Quinn this time. But I kept my guard up just in case.

As August hit, Janice called me and asked me if I wanted to stop by her house and ride up together. She hated my car and said I could park my car at her parents' home and they would feel more comfortable about our trip. I told her that would be great. I did not tell her my car had been acting up over the summer so her offer was a blessing in disguise.

I arrived on Friday afternoon and Janice and her mom greeted me at the door. They said that they were happy to see me but that Janice's brother would be in and out all weekend. They told me to expect to see a ghost in the house and not to worry if I saw someone in the home who was unfamiliar. They wanted me to feel comfortable. I did not see Alcide until Saturday evening when he was headed out somewhere; he did not want his sister to go and he basically forbade it. Which I thought was hysterical but Janice agreed and we stayed in, besides it was cheaper for me.

What little I did see of her brother, he was HOT and I mean fuck hot... I did not get a good look at him, he seemed familiar but I was unsure why. But I was pretty sure if he wanted to meet me he would introduce himself before we left on Tuesday to head back to school.

On Sunday and Monday, we laid out by the pool since we would not do much sunbathing and frolicking in a pool when we got back to school.

Janice told me I looked great in my polka dotted bikini but I was still self-conscious since I was so large breasted. But I figured she was like family and would tell me the truth. We were becoming very close friends.

We had a great time even when I thought someone was watching us. It may have been Mom or Dad so I was not too worried. The house was pretty secluded with a high fence so I figured I was safe.

…..Besides Quinn was still in jail…..

The week I spent at Janice's house I was unable to talk to Eric as much as I wanted to, but I promised myself I would make it up to him when we got back to LSU. God, I was sad, feeling bad for someone I didn't even know.

Tuesday arrived and as we were getting ready to head back to school, Alcide made an appearance to say goodbye and to tell his little sister to drive safe. He was a bear of a man and gave me a quick hug. Damn why do I know this man, he seems so familiar. I figured if Janice wanted me to know about Alcide more she would talk to me about it on our trip back to school, I never pressed the subject.

We talked about everything but her family on our ride back, we took our time and got there 5 hours later. We had a great time together we talked and sang like loons at the top of our lungs… funny part was neither one of us could sing worth a lick so we got along just fine.

We arrived at school and found out that we were next door to one another in the dorms and Claudine was still my roommate. Tara and Amelia were rooming on one side of me and Janice and Maria were on the other side.

It was the perfect set up.

It was going to be a great year, all my friends where located in the same corridor in our little three story dorm house.

As we all gathered in the hallway, I thought about the fact that we were all together in the same dorm house and hell the same damn hallway but I came to the conclusion that Amelia's dad pulled some strings to make it happen. But then maybe it was Janice's dad, who knows I didn't care; it just made me happy….

Author's note: it has been pointed out to me by my BETA, Northwoman, that Janice and her family seems to be as dumb as rocks since they do not put two and two together. Just bear with me, they figure it out and you will know when it happens. As for Sookie not realizing who Alcide is, well lets just chalked that up to not connecting last names and she was busy staring at Eric.


	8. Year of Longing

**Chapter 8 Year of Longing**

**EPOV**

Well,thetime flew by at work after we got back from our little adventure in Louisiana.

I constantly thought about the blonde, curvy woman from Starbucks.

Sookie was on my mind 24/7 and it did not let up just because I was busy taping the rest of season two of "Blood Moon".

We had about 8 episodes completed before we went to the Louisiana's meet and greet, but we needed to make sure we finished up the last 4 episodes by Christmas. If we worked hard, we could get most of it done and that would only leave short outtakes to be done in December.

My drive to get this accomplished was quickly getting on the rest of the cast's nerves.

Alcide approached me a couple of times and told me, "Dude, you need to chill out; you are scaring the rest of the cast."

I knew everyone was tired; we always got that way at the end of the taping season.

Tough Shit….

We had work to do…

I wanted to have fun too….I played practical jokes like the rest of the team but I wanted to get these last four episodes out of the way quickly.

I was a perfectionist and my drive for it upset a lot of people; I really didn't care...We had a job to do, the quicker we wrapped it up the quicker we could do other things…. Like vacation, visit family, make movies…..

It was a vicious cycle…. But we loved it; otherwise we would not have become actors.

As taping started to wind down, Thanksgiving was approaching and I was scheduled to go with Alcide to his parent's home.

I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to go or not. I did not want to upset Alcide's parents with my attitude, it sucked and I was a downer most of the time.

I was not very pleasant lately, I became a bear on the set and the only thing I could figure out after talking with Alcide is that I was disappointed I did not get to talk to Sookie before we left. She was all I ever thought about…..That woman had bewitched me and it was driving me insane.

Hell, my normal booty calls did not even want to be near me anymore.

I craved this woman and I did not know how to give my heart and mind a fix to make the anxiety go away….

Shit I did not even know her last name so how was I suppose to get in contact with her?

….Shit …. Shit….Shit…..

So I talked it over with Alcide and we decided it was best for me to go home with him for Thanksgiving so we could take a drive by LSU and see if we could find her; maybe even talk to that Detective and see if he could give us some pertinent information of her where abouts.

It was a long shot, but it was the only shot I had.

I was so desperate at that point, I felt like a fucking hormonal teenager.

But of course work got in the way, and Alcide and I never made it to Shreveport.

If we did not stay behind and finish up the **accidentally** deleted scenes then we would be working over the Christmas holiday and I was not having that.

Shooting was a nightmare, no one wanted to be there. It took us longer to reshoot these five scenes than an entire episode.

What a waste of fucking time.

I was pissed that I could not get to Shreveport. I wanted to find this girl. I needed to find this girl.

Damn, why was this not in the cards for me?

Well, things wrapped up before the holidays and I decided to go see my step-mom in Sweden (but I call her mom). I had not been in over a year and I needed to relax. Maybe the time away and I would start to forget about this girl.

Like hell, I was hooked…..

I started to feel this odd pull a couple of times a day. It felt like I was supposed to hear something but no one was ever around. I had felt it on LA but I figured I was strung out from the end of year rush. I felt it at about 5pm and then again in the morning. Sometimes I was sleeping, so I figured it was just a lack of sleep. But then it started again in Sweden, about 6am and then again at 3pm.

It was an odd feeling but I acknowledged it after a while and just smiled at the feeling. The only way to describe it was it made me feel warm in my heart.

My mom had caught me a couple of times smiling like a goon. She asked me what was up and I told her about the odd feeling.

She said, "Eric, sweetie, someone out there loves you with all their heart and is wishing you well. You are feeling the residual effects from it. The old Norse women would say you are feeling the call of your soul mate."

I just smiled….. MY soul mate… who the hell was that… and how the hell was I suppose to figure out where she lived….. Damn it…..

I asked mom, "Do you have any clues on how I figure out who it is and where they are located?"

Mom just smiled and said, "Sweetie, you may never find your soul mate. You may cross paths many times but you may never meet. Or you may know one another but do not know of the other's feelings. It is a tangled web and usually left to the FATES to decide who will be the winner."

I just looked at her, my mouth open wide and shook my head.

My mom, I love her to death but she confuses the shit out of me sometimes. I guess being a doctor you look at things differently.

So I decided we were talking about girls and stuff so I could broach the subject of Sookie with her.

So I began to tell her about the girl I met at Starbucks. About the sweetness she carried on her shoulders and how I could not stop thinking about her. I told my mom I felt doomed…. I asked her for suggestions….

She asked me a few questions about Sookie and that would help me figure out what my next step would be.

"How often do you think about her?"

"Why did you leave it up to Bobby to get her name?"

"Why hadn't I called the Detective to find out more about the case?"

"Why did I not get Alcide's sister to help out, you had a picture after the event, she may know her?"

"Did I think she would want to date an actor?"

"Did I think she reciprocated my feeling?"

"When I felt the pull, what time was it in LA and then what time did I think it happened here in Sweden?"

She said, "Since I have only felt the pull since after meeting Sookie, I needed to figure out if the time synced up to Louisiana time. I might just have met my soul mate and time would be on my side if I figured it out."

But she warned, "Don't push it, if you are meant to meet, let it happen naturally. You could cause damage to both your hearts if you push or pursue."

I asked what she meant by that last statement?

"If you push, it could hurt the relationship. Always know it is there in the back of your mind. When the time is right you will know it…. Still look into who she is, find out her name but be patient, if she is the one who was being stalked in Baton Rouge, she could run from you if she thinks she is being stalked again."

"Be patient, take your time; your heart will let you know when it is time."

So I let her know my responses to her questions.

"**ALL the DAMN time.**"

"**Because it was part of his damn job to do this kind of stuff for the actors." **

"**Felicia had been in contact with him and he said the trial was delayed by back log. I would probably only be needed for a deposition and I could do that by tele-conference when the trail neared. "**

"**Damn it, I forgot I even had it while we were there, I was too busy throwing a pity party at the time."**

"**Have no clue; she didn't even know who I was or even who Alcide was and she was there to see him kind of."**

"**At the time, YES, HELL YES, she was just as flustered as I was, like two peas in a pod. We were smiling, smirking, blushing or waving. Yes I think she felt the same jolt as I did." **

"**In LA I thought it happened at about 5 or 6pm which would make it 8 or 9pm in Louisiana and then at 4 or 5am in the morning which would make it 7 or 8am in Louisiana. As for here in Sweden that one is tricky, 6am here would be 10pm there and then again around 3pm which would be 9am there, if I am calculating it correctly. I think I am a bit off because the times would not match up to the LA times. But I guess I am over thinking it." **

"It's all pretty close in time and it started happening right after my trip… Maybe it is Sookie and she talks to me. Should I dare hope that is what she is doing or just let it slide away and let the chips fall where they may?"

Mom said to chill out and not over think it…. I'd figure it out soon enough but to enjoy my vacation before I have to get to the location site of my next movie.

I had a month before I needed to be there.

My time with my mom went by quickly. It felt like one minute I was just getting there to relax and the next I was jutting off to Hawaii for my location shoot. I was looking forward to it; maybe my mind would be off Sookie while I did the filming of my next movie. Who was I kidding, I was screwed, this woman was on my mind 24/7. She is all I ever thought about.

When I arrived in Hawaii, I found out Alcide would be there too for a small part in the same movie apparently one of the original cast members had to back out and he was available. He brought his current girlfriend with him. He met her in Canada, she was a sweet girl and they got along well but he had yet to take her home to meet the family, her name was Angela. He called her his angel and he thought that she may be the one, they were inseparable. She even quit her government job to be with him…. They were determined to make this work. The paparazzi hounded her constantly to get dirt on him and his family but she never budged. I think she was a keeper for him… I just wish I could find someone like this for me.

The three months we were to spend in Hawaii turned into four long months. I was glad Alcide and Angela were there to remind me to get my head out of my ass. I was miserable but a professional so I knew I could not let the movie down even if I was emotionally distraught.

I was looking forward to getting back to normalcy. I was actually looking forward to the next season taping of "Blood Moon". I heard we were going to be doing a location shoot and one of the places they spoke about was Shreveport so I was looking forward to a visit with Alcide's parents. Plus we would be close enough to LSU to go take a look. That is if we had the time. But there was still another three months before taping started so I figured I needed to get away. Find peace and solace. Where the hell could I go and not be noticed and enjoy my time? Maybe forget about her.

I was so lost. I chose to go back to Sweden because I could blend in and after a month my mom ordered me to go to the Caribbean and have fun. Blend in with the tourists and maybe find a girl to help me forget about Sookie for a little while.

Well I took her advice, found a nice girl or so I thought. She was an upcoming TV star and she knew the pain of the paparazzi. I figured out too late that she was another fame hound who latched onto me and made me miserable. She was good for sex; hell Dawn could give a great blow job but when she screamed out someone else's name during an orgasm, I was done.

Let me digress a bit. We had a great time in the Caribbean, I found out she did not live to far away from me in LA so I figure it was a perfect match, and maybe I would forget about the blonde, curvy one. Hell while I was in Sweden, I found enough blonde, blue eyed girls to remind me of Sookie while I had sex with them. Yes I was using them and it was a poor replacement but it was all I had.

So when I met Dawn Green, I thought my luck changed. She was a brunette and I let the memory of Sookie slide as far back as possible in my mind. It was when we got back to LA, I found out she was now a cast member, I had a rule not to date cast members but I figured we were dating before I knew it so I could get by the rule. I knew Sookie still lurked in the back of mind but I was feeling better, I wasn't feeling lonely and desperate for her. . Dawn and I dated for about 4 months before I found out two things about her.

One, she would call the paparazzi and let them know where we would be so her picture with me could be taken. We were always on some rag magazine cover and I hated it; I loved my privacy.

Two, she called out someone else's name during an orgasm, the first time she did it I thought I was mistaken but the second time, I knew it was over. I could not have her calling out a co-worker's name while she was having sex with me. It was Mark Stonebrook and I hated that fucker. That happened in the second month of filming "Blood Moon" when we headed for Shreveport to do an on location shoot, it was actually the night before the extras were to be there.

I hated all the extras milling about, most were gawkers but I dealt with that by avoidance, but three days of avoidance was not going to happen I would have to surface sooner or later. Most of them were there for scenes as Alcide's pack but a few would be for my nightclub.

As I looked around on morning one, I was hiding out in the cherry picker on the outside stage, looking for extras for Fangtasia I thought I saw a glimpse of her, MY Sookie, but she moved away too quickly to really see her so I let it go. But all the feelings came flooding back into my thoughts.

It was then that Alcide came up to me and told me we were going on a double date that night. He was hooking me up with another cast member, Isabel, so that I could get over Dawn… Little did he know I was over Dawn, like instantly; I was smitten by the thoughts of Sookie again.

So that night against my better judgment, I went out on a double date. Hell there was no chemistry between us at all. Izzie was fun but that was it. Not romance material and she agreed to that on her end as well. My thoughts were distracted and the three of them realized it. They all thought it was Dawn and when the girls left to go to the ladies room Alcide asked me what my deal was.

I told him about Dawn and what happened and why it was finally over…. I told him about the extras this morning and how I thought I saw Sookie and now that was all I could think about. Alcide said he would keep an eye out with the extras he was assigned to to see if he saw a sexy blonde. He apologized for not being able to remember what she looked like but he would keep a heads up.

So on day 2, I was actively looking for all things blonde, but I did not see her anywhere. I was hoping my night scene at the club that evening would have her there.

Who I was joking, why would she be in Shreveport when she went to school in Baton Rouge?

We started to shoot the dance scenes at Fangtasia and I saw her, it was my sweet Sookie. She was dressed up in a mini skirt, short heels (3inches if I had to guess) and a mid-drift halter top. She looked great, I wanted to run to her and throw my arms around her but I was told to stay in my seat and watch all the dancers.

I was having a difficult time not moving but I watched her and the film crew caught onto the fact that I was watching someone and I was showing great amounts of lust. You would have never been able to make that shit up.

I was afraid I was drooling.

The crew tried to figure out who I was watching and then they panned on Dawn (**hell fucking NO**) and moved all the extras further away from her so that was where my attention was drawn to. Dawn smiled at me and I just growled which everyone thought was a great ad-lib.

…. **HELL NO** that woman made me want to barf…

As the scene proceeded, the extras came back out and moved closer to me, I watched for Sookie and found her, she was dancing by herself but damn that girl could move. If she had a pole and could wrap herself around it all of my fantasies would be hooked up and complete.

As Sookie approached me, I saw her look up and smile at me and I think she said hello, I smirked back at her full FANG , she blushed that beautiful color of RED but ended up being pushed further back by the crew so they could bring Dawn back out closer to me. After that, I lost track of her.

I was pissed. I needed her; I needed to talk to her… Shit FATE was at it again.

I heard a break called and I asked where the extras were taken. No one seemed to know but half of them were asked to leave.

I found Alcide and told him what happened and he said he would go look for them. I couldn't lose the chance again, she was so close. I needed to find her. Alcide came back and said that most of the extras left and it was mainly crew left on the set now; we would have to wait until the morning to look for her again.

Shit I needed a STIFF drink, like ASAP. That never happened; I went back to hotel and folded into a deep sleep and dreamt of all things SOOKIE.

On day 3, neither of us saw her. FUCK….. I lost the chance again.

We didn't even make it to Alcide's parent's house while we were there. Filming ran late and we were told we needed to get back to LA the following day so our little side trip was cut out.

Damn it, what if she was my soul mate, what if the FATES were keeping us away from one another as a silly joke. Fuck I couldn't do this again…. I told Alcide come this Thanksgiving we **WERE** going to Shreveport and we **WERE **going to go to LSU and look for her….. Nothing was going to get in my way.

But the one thing I held fast to was my morning and evening warm and fuzzy feelings, those never went away and I decided it was Sookie because while in Shreveport the times were synced up to the time we were currently at…. Now I just had to find her. I called my mom and let her know about my find and my lost of all things Dawn fucking Green.

Authors note: In my mind Alcide never got a good look at Sookie when their picture was taken at Starbucks and the girl he saw at his parents' house was just a friend of his sisters so he never made the connection.


	9. Blood Moon

**Chapter 9 Blood Moon **

**SPOV**

Well we got back to school okay. It was fun to be all together again. The first couple of weeks were rough getting use to the new school year but I was ready… More than ready ….

It was October when the girls approached me about going to Shreveport during the school week…I told them I didn't think it was a good idea.

But all five of them ganged up on me.

Janice had checked with our teachers and they did not have a problem with us missing a couple of days… Plus we were all going to stay at Janice's, so there was no worry about money for rooms and food… Amelia had checked with Copley and he rented us a van so we only had to take one car, plus he told us to use his credit card to pay for gas. So my excuse about school and lack of money were null and void…

It wasn't until we were headed to Shreveport that it was explained to me, why we were going in the first place. I about died when I found out we were going to try and be extras on "Blood Moon".

My heart had been longing for Eric all summer long but I had caught a Gossip RAG or two and saw his pictures with this pretty brunette and the caption read that they were dating... So I knew then whatever I had felt was all on my side… but I couldn't fault him, he knew nothing about me but that did not stop me from my fantasy relationship with him. I continued to talk to him all the time. It felt good and it felt right.

Over the summer I had told Gran a little about Eric and my feelings and she said he could possibly be my soul mate but the fates had knitted us apart and that one day we might be knitted back together again… but to hold onto my dreams, so that is exactly what I was going to do…

As we got closer to Shreveport we all got excited, but our first stop was Herveaux house…. Nice ring to that huh…We checked in with Mom and Dad and they said they found out the extras needed to be at the stadium at 8am so we opted to stay in and talk with Janice's parents so we could have an early night; we wanted to be to be refreshed for the day LONG wait.

We woke up the next day and had a healthy breakfast and headed to the stadium… We brought plenty of water with us, it might be October but it was just beginning to cool off so we would be hot and miserable while we waited to be picked.

I looked for Eric and the girls looked for Alcide…. We did not see anyone but we were determined to be an extra…..

The girls wanted to be in Alcide's pack but I opted for the dance scene at Fangtasia so we separated for a while.

As I stood in line, or group mob, we were sectioned out on whether we could dance or not. I thought I heard one of the other girls in the mob say they heard Eric was the one choosing the dancers. I did not see him or anyone else anywhere on the set so I was oblivious to how they were going to pick out who they needed. They needed 50 of us and there were at least 300 extras… damn, I figured I was not going to be one of them.

The day wore on and we auditioned, kinda. If you could call music piped in and we shaked what the good lord gave us. By the time 3 hours had gone by, we were narrowed down to 100 people both male and female. It was another grueling 2 hours before the 50 were chosen. I lucked out; I was chosen, like at the number 20 or so. I had no clue why I was chosen or by whom; I was just grateful to get the chance to come back tomorrow for our scene. I hoped the other girls got picked too….

Before the dance scene extras left, we were told to try and bring back something sexy and alluring to wear during our scene. I was screwed. I had nothing.

…. Shit… Fuck… What was I going to do?

I found the girls a bit later and they were all chosen for the Pack…. The said their audition was much easier; they just stood there and waited to be looked at by the director….. They said they heard Alcide was helping choose but he wasn't in the room with them…. But they were excited anyway because they could see him tomorrow morning…

I told them all my dilemma about an outfit and they all said that we would figure something out between the six of us; we had to be able to find something… They said they lucked out; they were told to wear a nice top and shorts….. Damn that was easy…

We got back to Janice's house early and started talking to Mom; we told her my issue about clothes. She asked us, "If any of us had anything remotely close to what I needed?"

They all shook their head no. Mom told me not to get my feathers ruffled; she would figure something out. Mom was curvy like me so we all trudged back to her bedroom to see what she had. I lucked out that we had the same size foot and we found a 3 inch heel shoe that was sexy as hell and I could easily dance in. Now to find a costume to go with it….

Mom said I might as well go whole hog with my outfit; I probably would never get this chance again. So we looked a little bit more and found something in her closet that she forgot was even there. She said she bought it for a Halloween costume years ago but never ended up wearing it… Jackson told her she looked too sexy in it for their friends, so she went in something else... I tried it on, it was a short mini skirt but it covered my ass well enough and a mid-drift halter top… I loved it. It fit me well.

It was out of my comfort zone but for Eric, I would wear it. I wanted to attract his attention, just to say hello. That's all I needed to get me by for another year or two….

So I left early with the girls, even though my shoot wasn't until much later. We told them at the gate and they allowed me into watch their scenes and vice versa for the girls watching me since we all came in one car.

The Pack scene was long but it was cool to watch Alcide get the attention of everyone with his strong masculine voice. I was sitting next to a pretty girl named Angela and she told me her and Alcide were dating. I told her I was happy for her and I hoped it all worked out. She said she hoped so too; she loved him a lot.

It was then I saw Janice move away from the group and was about to get up but she was talking to that asshole who asked me for the picture last year so I figured she was okay. I did not want to talk to him again; he was a total jerk….

I saw Janice wave at me and tell me everything was okay but she walked away again for a few minutes while they set up the next shot.

The wolves were coming in so they needed to extra careful with all the movements going on. It was awesome to watch…. Alcide's wolf was huge and it looked like they were friends, the wolf jumped up with his paws on Alcide's shoulder and gave his face a lick….. Ahhhhh that was sweet…..

I had a great time as I watched and Angela was great so it made the time pass quickly…

Once the girls were done, we headed to get something to eat… The extras were given lunch and dinner depending on what we were doing but since the girls were waiting on me they were allowed to eat with me.

As we waited, we watched Alcide walk by us and the girls squealed. Janice and I laughed and he nodded and smiled at us. He was good looking but where the hell did I know him from… Shit I usually have a good memory being a waitress and all but I could not place where else I had met him.

As the night wore on, we were told to get changed into our outfits and if minor adjustments needed to be made, they would be. I was approved right away and stepped to the side.

We were told to take our places, which was on the dance floor. The music started and we were all told to dance and when the time arose we would be told when to stop and start again; we were also told when and where to move. It felt robotic but I was having fun,

It was about half an hour later that Eric came out onto the stage with us. He moved slowly and gazing over the dance floor as he moved. I know he did not see me but I was hopeful. He looked beautiful in person; he was a gorgeous man and my breath hitched … It took me a minute but I started to breathe again…

As I got back into the beat of the music, I moved towards his throne.

My back was to him and I was shaking what the good lord gave me and basically doing a strip tease without the pole.

It was fun, but when I turned around and caught the look in his eyes, he was feral… the lust was pouring out of his eyes… he looked like he was going to pounce on me.

I was dancing for him and gave it my all. It was then we were all told to back up to give the cast member her time in the spot light.

Why did Eric looked pissed?

I figured his lustful face was directed at the girl on the dance floor; it was his girlfriend after all. But the look he gave her and the growl that came out of him was not a happy one…. Maybe the lust was for me? I would have to wait and see.

I watched him scan the dancers, it looked like he was looking for someone other than her; he could not look at her and he kept looking away. What the hell was that all about?

As we were told to move back onto the dance floor, I did and I made sure I got as close as I could to Eric, this was my last shot to tell him hello before we would be ushered off the floor and sent home.

I danced up to him again, doing the dirty pole dance and his look was feral again. I knew it was for me, the look in his eyes was all I needed to know; it was all for me. He was closed mouth the whole time but when I danced up to him I looked up and smiled at him (I said hello) and he smirked back but his mouth was full fang and it was sexy as hell. I knew I blushed because he affected me the same way as I did him… I knew then, that yes, we were soul mates and one day FATE would let us be together, but today was not that day.

The crew told us to back up, so I looked up at him one more time, I said goodbye, but I don't think he heard me; his state of mind was too feral. As we backed up again, Dawn got her spot light. I knew I would not see Eric again.

WE were lost to one another again.

We were ushered off the stage and we were told we did a great job; they would be wrapping up soon but they needed us to collect our personal items and get paid…. I did not want the money. I had a blast and I got to see Eric, which was payment enough. The pay was cool but I was over the moon with the way Eric looked at me.

I wondered how long until the next time I would be able to see him. Then I remembered, the trial was supposed to be this year so it might be a matter of months that thought made me all tingly inside.

I caught up with the girls and they told me I did a great job and it was not unnoticed by Amelia, Tara and Claudine that Eric and I had a connection again while I danced for him… I just smiled at them and said another day; today was not that day.

They all laughed as we collected our stuff and went to get paid.

We all had a great time and decided if given the chance we would do it all over again. We headed back to Janice's and I fell asleep smiling, it was going to be a good year.

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Authors note: hello everyone… I just want to address something real quick for you… Eric and Sookie will get together, but the HEA is going to have to wait for awhile… Real Life plays a major role in this story and I don't see it happening as quickly as most of you would like… So if Eric had a girlfriend or two and Sookie dates it is because they are not meant to be yet… Bear with me on this little issues, I know a few of you have questioned my motives and asked why I just can't skip to the good stuff. The story is mine and this is how I see it progressing… thank you for reading my story….my best Kristie


	10. Trial Part 1

**Chapter 10 Trial **

**SPOV PART 1 /EPOV Part 2/QPOV Part 3**

Well after our Shreveport trip, things for me were hectic but fun. I loved school and I loved my friends. My life was finally looking up. I had my memories of Eric and I thought I was living in "High Cotton" from my memories, dancing for him was awesome.

The girls told me from their vantage point, they had monitors in front of them, that my dance for Eric was a very EROTIC one; Eric was enchanted and engrossed by it. They wanted to know how the crew could have panned over to Dawn when he wasn't even looking at her…. IDIOTs…... I was cool with that, I knew who I was dancing for and I loved every minute of it.

It was a few days later I saw one of those RAG magazines stating that Dawn broke up with Eric very publically and he was devastated. From what I could tell at the shooting, he was pissed at her and he did the breaking up.

The Rags get it wrong SOOOOO often.

She must have been a real bitch for him to break up with her while they were traveling.

What can I say about school; homework, labs and studying; pretty boring stuff. Life was kind to me for the first time in almost 2 years.

The holidays came and went and I went home instead of going to Janice's. I drove home with her since she had a car and I didn't but I told her Gran was getting up in her years and I wanted to make sure I spent as much time with her as possible. I asked her to please make my apologies to her parents. She told me the guy she wanted me to meet was going to be there during our Christmas break and she really wanted me there but I told her maybe the next holiday break. I just wasn't ready. What I didn't tell her was I had my memories of Eric and I was good to go.

Once I got home for Christmas break, it went by quickly and I was back to LSU in no time. While home from break I did not hear a peep from Frannie Quinn so I thought maybe she had given up with the notes plus I was curious as to what was happening with Quinn's trial, we hadn't heard from the Detective lately so I figured they were still back logged. Life was definitely good.

It was mid-March and we were all in the lounge. So engrossed with "Blood Moon" we didn't know we had guests. Apparently they had been there the whole time, waiting for our show to end. It was Det. Coughlin and Bob, the security guy.

This must not be good if they were both here.

The Detective explained the trial was going to start at the end of April and the District Attorney would be contacting us about our statements and wanted us to give depositions soon. He would make sure the DA contacted us before we left for home; her name was Portia Bellefleur.

Hmm, I wonder if she was related to Andy.

I asked him if he had news on whether Mr. Northman would be there or not and he told us he did not.

He asked me why it was important for him to be there.

I told him I needed to know so I could thank him properly since I was not given the opportunity to do so earlier. He chuckled and said he would see what he could find out.

He told us to just enjoy our Spring Break and once we got back then the trial would probably be starting, he would clear it with the school for us to be missing classes so we could be in attendance...

I hated the idea of waiting but I knew the longer they had to get the information against Quinn, the better off I was; he would spending a very long time in jail. I was so looking forward to not looking over my shoulder all the time.

Well, Janice talked me in to going to her house for Spring Break; I loved her parents and the solitude I felt at her house. Dad told us he would send his lawyer to us when they needed our deposition's done so we were covered and not taken advantage of.

I told him he did not have to do that but I was grateful.

I know not to look a gift horse in the mouth but I felt bad about him spending money on me. But Janice reminded me he was there for her too, so I was covered. I had forgotten that she was the one in the dorm house who had called the police about Claudine's attack. I thanked Mom and Dad and told them I would repay them somehow.

The Herveaux's gave me a huge surprise toward the end of our week break. Mom and Dad said they would see us shortly but in actuality they went to Bon Temps to pickup Gran. She was going to stay with us for my last four days of break. I was so excited when they walked in the door with her following behind them; it was the best thing they could have done for me.

I was nervous about the trial and having Gran there before we left to go back to school was a gift from god. She calmed me down and got me off the ledge of guilt so I could cope better.

Yes guilt, I felt guilty for Quinn's situation; I kept faulting myself even though I knew I was not to blame.

Her visit was much needed and I was grateful Mom and Dad thought of it; she is my world and I did not know what I was going to do when she finally passed away.

We headed back to Baton Rouge again with a positive outlook and the feeling that everything was going to work out to our benefit.

It was a week later DA Bellefleur contacted us to come in for our depositions. We told her we needed to contact our lawyer so he could attend. She was surprised we had one and that it was the same lawyer for some of us. She set it up so he would only have to travel up to Baton Rouge once.

We contacted Copley and the Herveaux's about sending their lawyers out in two days time. They said he would meet us at the court house at 8am and he would talk to us before the depositions.

It wasn't until that morning we found out that Mr. Cataliades represented both Copley and the Herveaux's. He said he was fine with that and he would get with the adults later to let them know. The other thing he thought was funny was he was representing all of us; Janice, Tara, Amelia, Claudine, Maria and myself. He knew there would not be a conflict of interest so he was okay with it.

Before we went in, he wanted to warn us about one thing; Quinn asked to be present; we would have to deal with his presence in the room. He told us he was not allowed to speak to us but he could glare. Okay, that made me nervous.

As we waited in the hallway for our turn, we found out Catherine had her deposition the same day as ours so that way Quinn would only be out of his jail cell for one day.

I think they were nervous Quinn would try and escape. You never knew where Frannie was lurking.

About 15 minutes went by and we noticed the doors at the end of the hallway flung open and a woman came running out of it crying and dropped to her knees in the hallway.

She was a mess.

I got up and ran to her and the rest of the girls followed.

When I knelt down to her I asked her what her name was?

She said Catherine.

I asked her, "What was the matter?"

All she could get out was, "HIM."

I knew instantly who **him **was. He was trying to intimate her, and it worked.

She said, "She came by herself with no lawyer because she could not afford one and the DA was not being very courteous to her feelings of being abused and hiding it for long. "

She was devastated.

We all looked at Mr. C and called him over; he walked over to us to see what he could do to help. We told him what she said and he said he would help, that adding one more youngin' to his group of witnesses was not going to be an issue. He told us to take her to the bathroom and clean her up. That Catherine and he would march right back into the room and give Quinn a piece of their mind.

We got her cleaned up, told her we would be with her in spirit and she marched back in with her head held high to give him a piece of her mind. Mr. C later told us Quinn was pissed she came back in. He demanded a mistrial since she ran out. He was told that a mistrial only happens in the court room. They were only taking depositions now which would be helpful during the trial starting in less than a week.

As we all marched in, one by one with Mr. C at our side, Quinn got away with nothing. Mr. C would not have it. When he growled, Mr. C told his lawyer to control his client. When Quinn would glare or show us a mean smirk, Mr. C would ask for him to be controlled or removed. The depositions went a lot smoother than we all thought they would. I wasn't nervous anymore; I knew I had a lawyer who was on my side and who would protect me at the trial.

Mr. C said he would attend the trial next week so that we were not taken advantage of during it. He would be sitting with DA Bellefleur when each one of us was on the witness stand. He got Catherine's phone number from her before he left and told her if she needed anything to give him a call. He bid us adieu.

Catherine stayed with us for a little while so we could talk. She said she couldn't afford this trip but she knew she needed to be there. She hid what he did to her for too long and it had affected her in more ways than one.

The rape did a number on her and she was unable to hold a job or a relationship. She said she needed closure.

We told her to cancel her hotel room and she could stay with us in the dorm; we would make do. Amelia immediately called Copley and let him know and he told her to use his credit card to make her comfortable for however long the trial took. He would see us soon.

We stayed at the court house for a while hoping to see Eric Northman but no one ever showed up. The last person to come out from his deposition was Det. Coughlin. I asked him about Eric. He told me they did a tele-conference with him since he was overseas filming and could not be here for the deposition or trial. It would be his producer from "Blood Moon", Felicia Ramirez, here in his stead.

I deflated; I needed to see him. I needed to thank him… My mood turned sour to say the least. The girls tried to cheer me up. It wasn't happening.

Janice told me it was only a matter of time before I saw him again and to have faith. She had this huge smile on her face and I really did not know why.

Did she know something I didn't?

It had been a week since I saw Quinn, the trial started and the jury was being selected and we weren't allowed in the court room until it was our turn to talk. But we got a pleasant surprise when we all arrived the first day. We were all sitting out in the hall of the courthouse waiting to be called in one at a time when the outside doors opened and in walked our parent(s) or grandparent.

Copley set it all up so we would have their support and he insisted on paying all the bills.

Catherine's parents were even there and that made her cheer up immensely.

The only thing that would or could be better if the doors opened again and Eric walked through them. But he didn't, I did not even see Felicia.

Gran hugged me and then the parents all walked in together; they sat as a united front. I was told later by Mr. C that Quinn turned to see who walked in, you could tell by his face he knew who a few of them were but was mystified at the rest of the adults. If he thought he could intimidate anyone now, he was in for a rude awakening.

**We had Backup.**

Looking at how big Mr. Herveaux was, he intimidating enough for anyone. That man was **not **a tiny man; he was huge just like his son.

The trial proceeded but slowly; we were not all called into testify today. We would have to do this all over again tomorrow.

My nerves were shattered; I wanted this over.

Copley was taking us all out for dinner and we were informed we all had a room at the hotel so we could visit with our folks. He even told us to buy a new outfit for tomorrow since we would not be going back to the dorms tonight and maybe even tomorrow night. That everything was going to be provided for us.

It was really sweet of him but I needed alone time; I needed to go for a walk and talk to Eric.

I desperately needed to talk to Eric, I missed him so much. I needed him to be my rock…. I knew I had to get away later and I would do my best to do it or come up with another plan.

It was while we were headed for dinner that I saw Felicia Ramirez. I asked the group to give me a minute; I needed to talk to her.

I walked up to her and introduced myself. She smiled at me and said she knew who I was and that she was proud of me for standing up for myself. I asked her if she knew why Mr. Northman was unable to attend and she told me he was in the middle of a shoot in Iceland and was unable to get a flight back in time. I told her I wanted to thank him for what he did for me, if he hadn't been so observant I might not be alive today. She smiled at me and said she understood and she would relay the message to him…

I thanked her for attending and I asked her if she would like to join our group for dinner. She smiled at me nervously and said she would be delighted. I walked her up to the group and started the introductions with Catherine and her family, Claudine and hers, Amelia and her dad, Tara and her Mom, Maria and her dad, my Gran and then Janice and her parents. I got a strange feeling from the look Felicia shot at Dad Herveaux and he just shook his head at her.

That was weird.

I guess I would have to ask about that later.

We had a great time at dinner and talked like old friends, I knew us girls were friends but the parents and Felicia joined right in. We told them all about our adventure to Shreveport where we were extras in "Blood Moon". Catherine said she was jealous and wished she had enough courage to do that. We told her to stick with us and she would be able to do it, come hell or high water.

All the parents laughed.

It seemed Felicia was quite interested in our Shreveport story. She said she remembered that night of filming and there was a bit of a ruckus during the taping of the dance scene. It seems Mr. Northman and Dawn Green had ended their personal relationship and it was causing all sorts of problems on the set. Apparently when the crew mistakenly spotlighted her instead of the real dancer Eric was watching it pissed him off and he let the crew have it. But being the professional he is, he waited until all the extras were gone. I blushed and the girls started cackling. Felicia asked what the problem was and I couldn't answer, so of course Amelia said the dancer he was watching was Sookie. She turned to me and said really? I am going to have to pull the tape and see what he saw to make his face so lustful… I blushed and Gran laughed at me for doing so. I was never going to live this down.

The night progressed without a hitch, even Mr. C ended up joining us.

As we finished up, Copley led us to the Hotel Boutique and told all of us girls to find an outfit and under things and to put it on his tab. The other parents bulked but he reminded them of their agreement and he would not even notice the cost on his AMEX Platinum. We all thanked him and he reminded us that cost was NOT a problem so to buy what we liked.

We spent an hour in there.

The moms and Gran were having a great time with us and the dads stayed outside and smiled at our fun. I could see them all talking but I also noticed that Felicia walked up to Mr. Herveaux and she walked a short distance away with him to speak privately. I wonder what that was all about. Mom H noticed the encounter and just smiled and shook her head. I wonder how Felicia knew him.

…. HMMMM, a thought for later…

I had to get away; I asked Gran if she would help me get some alone time. Her response was sure honey, how can I help you. I told her just help me get by myself for a little while.

So our plan was for me to go back to her room with her because she was tired and then I would sneak out to the pool deck to be by myself.

It worked….. I was ecstatic… Yes, alone time with Eric and the MOON.

As I walked out of the back entrance, I found the pool area was empty; I found a cabana lounge chair and looked up at the MOON and the stars. It was a full moon so I knew Eric would be listening to me.

I poured my heart out to him. I told him I missed him; I wished he was here with me. To be careful. To stay safe. To enjoy his following day and to break a leg… I giggled at that.

The final thing I said was that I loved him….

It was the first time I said it out load and it felt good. I knew he did not reciprocate that feeling but it felt good to say it.

It reenergized me.

I could face another day waiting and knowing I would be seeing him again soon, whenever that may be.

I turned around because I heard a noise but I did not see anyone, so I figured it was a lizard or something like that making a noise. If we were at my home, I would say a coon or possum but since we were in the city I figured it was something smaller.

I went back to my musing and talking to Eric and realized I had been out there for a while and I needed to get in before a search party came out to find me. Plus we needed to go to bed soon; we had to get up early to be at the court house at 8am.

We all got to the court house at 8am on the dot; the trial did not start until 9am. We were instructed to be there early. As we all stood in the hallway, we saw Quinn being lead in at the end of the hall. He screamed at us and called us all bitches.

Mr. C told us to ignore him but we couldn't ignore Mrs. Quinn and Frannie. They marched right up to us and that's when Mrs. Quinn slapped me in the face. I was shocked and the police officer next to us asked me if I wanted to press charges, I said NO, this was her one and only shot because the next time she was going to get a beat down of her own. Frannie started yelling at me, blaming me for everything Quinn did wrong. Hell I wasn't even a glimmer in his eye when he attacked Catherine, what the hell was her problem.

They escorted her away and told her if she did not calm down she would be ejected from the courthouse. Yeah Frannie calming down; don't see it happening… I do see her in a pretty orange jumpsuit of her own.

This was not the first outburst from Frannie; apparently her mom and she had moved to Baton Rouge to be closer to Quinn and were causing issues at the BRPD. It was just the first outburst directed at me. I was already getting letters and notes from her at school but I had kept it to myself so no one else would worry. I spoke with Mr. C about them and he told me to bring them as evidence after the fact. Frannie was so screwed. She told me she and Quinn would get to me after the trial and she hated to see what I looked like then. Nobody would want me ever again. Some of the letters were rough but I dealt with them the best I could. Mr. C was positive that these letters would put the nail in Quinn's coffin, so it was agreed I would be the last witness. Poor Catherine was first but after she testified she looked a 100% better.

The day went by slowly for me as the rest of the girls and Felicia were called to the stand. The trial was called at 3pm and was going to be reconvened at 9am tomorrow. Shit one more day. I did not think I could make it through another night.

Frannie tried to approach me again and the police officer assigned to us pulled her off of me. I was shocked she tried to do it again. Det. Coughlin assigned a geeky looking cop to us for protection. His name was Kevin Pryor, but we figured what the heck it couldn't hurt.

Well our night pretty much went the same way as our previous day and Copley took us all to dinner. Our entourage was the same including Felicia, Mr. C and now Kevin Pryor. After dinner and small talk, we headed to the boutique again but this time we did not fuss much about what we were doing we knew better than to say NO to Copley. He even told the moms and Gran to buy a new outfit. That made them all giddy as a church mouse. It was fun shopping for them too.

I asked for Gran's help again and she asked me what I was up to. Was there a boy in my life? I giggled at that and said **YES AND NO**. But I would explain once we got up to the room. I wanted to keep it private…

We got up to the room and she sat me down and asked again, what was up?

I took a deep breath and told her the story of Eric Northman and what he means to me. I looked at her after I finished and she showed no emotion. Nothing….. Oh Shit she did not approve.

I held my breath…. Was she ever going to say anything…..?

It was in the next moment when she spoke to me like she used to when I was little.

"Child you were always special. You're a Moon Child because of you birthday…. You have always loved the moon and you associate all good things with it… it was the moon you turned to when your parents died and it is the moon you turned to now for comfort….. You associate the moon with the man you believe to be your soul mate, the one you love with all your heart and soul…. And he could possibly be true love for you…. But don't hold back from happiness with another…. You two may never meet up romantically and I would hate to see you waste away and not give me a great grand baby …"

I gasped and she smirked and giggled.

" Sookie dear, you are a proud and beautiful person and you need to follow your heart… if you think Eric Northman is the one, then try and see if that dream comes true, but always be aware of who is around you and try to let yourself be happy while you wait….. It is all I ask, but please don't shortchange yourself while you wait… I am sure he will not shortchange himself either or if he is even aware of your connection."

I thought for a moment that she was right.

My heart belong to him, could I give it to another? … But when will we meet up again and will we be single and ready for one another?

Maybe never.

I was not going to let life slip away… I could have fun but I needed to make sure I stayed safe in my heart too. Quinn did a number on my heart and I don't think I was ready for any more hurt...

I thanked Gran for the talk and asked her if she minded if I went outside to talk to Eric… She said go ahead child, you deserve some peace. I love my Gran; she always knew the right thing to say.

I went outside to the pool area, once again it was deserted.

I lay down on the cabana lounge chair and looked up at the moon. It had a sheer haze to it and the moon looked like it was shimmering or crying. My heart ached but I knew if I talked to him I would feel better. I told him about my day and said I would love to have heard about his day. His was probably more exciting than mine. I did not stay out there as long as last night because I heard that noise again. It made me nervous my mind kept going back to what Frannie Quinn said; I figured my best bet was to get my butt back inside.

I quickly told Eric

I missed him dearly… to be careful and to stay safe… to break a leg tomorrow while filming (of course I giggled again) and to have a great day. He will be thought of often since I would need his strength to help me through my portion of the trial…. Lastly I told him I Loved Him and I knew one day we would actually meet where we held a conversation instead of longing looks….

Good night my love, sweet dreams.

I went back inside and headed for my room... I passed Felicia on the way and she just smiled at me with a knowing devious smile.

What the hell was that all about?

Whatever, I was tired and I needed to try and get some rest. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Morning came too soon. But we made it to court at 8am on the dot. Of course it was our entourage again but instead of PO Pryor it was Det. Coughlin. I felt safe again. Frannie actually kept her distance but I did not trust her at all. I figure even once Quinn was sent away, she would be my next problem.

Everyone went in but me and the Detective, he said he would wait with me until I was called. I was grateful… I would have rattled away if he did not stay with me. It wasn't until 10am when I got called in to testify.

Here goes nothing.

Two long years of hell and it was almost over.

I was sworn in and Quinn yelled at me that I was a whore and a bitch. The growl that came from Mr. Herveaux was one for the record books. It was scary and intimidating and Quinn backed right down. Mrs. H just patted his knee and kissed his cheek, he was so sweet to stand up for me that way. I truly felt like his adopted daughter and I was proud to have him as an adoptive dad... I gave him a big smile and nodded I was ready to the DA.

However, it did not stop me from trembling.

I knew the questioning was going to be tough but I knew I had my family and friends there to support me and in my mind I had Eric. I could get through this. I realized then how fucked up my life with Quinn truly was. He was bad news and I was an idiot to believe all his lies.

The DA started with my life in Bon Temps and how and when I met Quinn. I was asked about my virginity and when I lost it to my partner at the time and who that partner was. I made sure to tell everyone Quinn's and my theory about getting married so it was okay in the eyes of God for me to lose my virginity to him after I turned 18yrs old. I believed with all my heart he was who I was going to marry. I then explained how I found out he was cheating on me and told them about Prom and what happened after it. I told them when I tried to talk to him he had been drinking so he became aggressive and that is why I got the restraining order.

I was asked about my move to Baton Rouge and if it was planned. I explained my late scholarship and admittance to LSU. I told them about an argument I had with Quinn and this is when I had told him about my scholarship and leaving. It was then he became even madder at me. I told him we were over and I was going to Baton Rouge without him.

**We were over. **

My dream was to be a teacher and I was going to go through with that dream, come hell or high water.

I was then asked about my school life, what it consisted of and what I did. Did I go to parties, did I socialize with the opposite sex, etc. I told them my life was school and my studies and my friends and that for me to do anything extracurricular I had to be dragged there, but once I was there I had fun. But to keep in mind that did not happen often.

I was asked to explain, so I told them about our trip to Starbucks and the Meet and Greet. That the girls had to explain to me what it was because I really did not watch TV too much. I elaborated about it a bit more and was shocked at the next question.

The DA asked me if I was sexually active with Eric Northman. My mouth dropped open and I gasped as did everyone else.

My only response to that question was, "I WISH". I heard giggles from my entourage.

I explained I had never met Mr. Northman before that day and I could not say I really met him... The only words uttered between us were, "Can I get you anything?" His response was "No thank you.", I explained that I was buying lattes for me and the girls and I wanted to know if he wanted one. …. My next words to him were "Nice meeting you" as I walked away with the lattes and his next words to me were "Nice meeting you too" that happened after our picture was taken. That was all of our conversation. Nothing before that or after that…

The next time I saw him was during an Extras call in Shreveport… The girls went to see Alcide and be extras for him and I wanted to try and be an extra for Eric's dance scene. Not once did we speak to one another. I saw him, said hello from about 50ft away and got no response but he was taping his show so I figured he wouldn't respond. We left and I did not see him again.

I figured I would see him here today because it was Mr. Northman who had alerted the security at the site. But he was busy with a new movie and couldn't get away.

The DA asked me why I wanted to see him, if we did not know one another.

I said I wanted to thank him for saving my life, because I truly believed if Quinn got a hold of me I would be dead by now.

There was a couple of gasps from the courtroom but the DA moved on.

She asked me if there was anything else I wanted to address with the court. I told her there was but would it be okay if my lawyer was the one to ask the questions because I was nervous about what I had to offer next.

My entourage looked at one another trying to figure out what was up because none of them knew about this.

The DA obliged and the defense had no problem with it because he would get his chance to cross examine me.

Mr. C asked how he and I met and when. I explained that Jackson Herveaux and Copley Carmichael had both sent you up to us as our lawyer, meaning all the girls here today. They both had you on retainer and asked you to be here for us in case we needed a lawyer's advice. When we met privately, I asked you a question about safety issues and you asked me why I needed to ask.

I showed you a note I had received just that morning and I was horrified at what it said. You asked me where the note was found and I told you, I found it tucked under my door just like I had all the others.

By this time the entourage was all murmuring about what was I talking about, what notes. Gran didn't even know.

I stated that I felt ashamed for not letting anyone know but I figured Frannie was harmless until yesterday when she confronted me out front.

I proceeded to tell Mr. C the notes started at the end of last year and then disappeared over the summer but when school started again. I got at least one note or letter per month. They were all signed by Frannie Quinn.

Quinn turned around and asked "Frannie what the fuck did you do now?"

The judge told Quinn to be quiet so I could proceed.

Mr. C asked me if I kept the letters and I told him I did.

He asked if I had them with me now and I told him yes.

He asked me to present them to the court so that they could be entered into record.

The defense attorney objected but the judge overruled it and said she would like to read some of these notes before we proceeded…

I handed the stack of letters over to Mr. C who gave them to the Judge.

There must have been 50 notes.

The judge skimmed over them and put a few to the side. Once she was done, she told the clerk to enter all the notes in as evidence but the five she laid to the side she wanted me to read out loud….

Shit I was afraid of that…. I closed my eyes and prayed to God and to Eric to give me the strength to do this. I needed him right now more than ever. I started to tremble.

Once the documents were entered into evidence, they were given back to me and I was asked to read them in the order the judge had laid them out.

Okay, I could do this. Just breathe and speak clearly…. It isn't going to kill you to read it but just do it and get it over with.

**Note 1- **

You Bitch, you are dead once Quinn gets released from jail. I am going to laugh over your naked dead body.

Frannie

**Note 2-**

Your severed head will look nice on a silver platter.

Much love, Frannie Quinn

**Note 3-**

Once Quinn has his way with you and you are a used up whore there will be no man alive who would want any part of you.

You're soon to be sister in law Frannie "fucking" Quinn

**Note 4-**

You whore, I see you dancing like a slut for him...Did you spread your legs open for him as quickly as you did for my brother, you slut. I am sure Quinn ruined you for any other man.

Lovingly yours, FQ

**Note 5-**

Bitch, you are mine once the trial is over. You disgraced Quinn. You disgraced my family and I am going to hang you like the KKK did to the black bastards back in the 60's. I am going to have so much fun with you and once I am done I will see if Quinn wants any piece that is left. You are a whore and you need to be treated as one, I have lined up a few good men to make you know what it feels like to be the whore you are. Enjoy your days because they are coming to a close real quick,

Best regards, Frannie Quinn

By the time I got through to the last one I was crying silently. I needed to get through this and then I could fall apart. Damn it Eric, I need you now more than ever.

Mr. C asked me if I ready to continue and I said yes.

The judge let everyone else know the DA, Defense attorney, Quinn and the gallery; that those notes I read weren't even the worst of them, but she was not going to subject me to reading anymore. They were horrifying to say the least.

I looked up to see my entourage crying and leaning on one another.

The judge told us to proceed.

Mr. C asked me if I thought the notes were an attack on me personally. I told him at first I thought Frannie was just lashing out like she did back in Bon temps. He asked me to elaborate. I told him she would send me notes at school, place them on my car.

Telling me, no demanding me, to go back to Quinn.

When I came home for the holidays she would yell at me in my own yard to drop the charges, I had to call the Sherriff and he told her to back off or he would press charges. She backed off and I thought the harassment was over.

It started again at the end of last year. I figured she was visiting so I figured they would end once she went back home. When school started again the notes started again. As the months went on the notes became more violent. I did not want to bother anyone with them, I thought they were my own cross to bear but when Frannie and Mrs. Quinn attacked me yesterday I knew I had a big problem on my hands if Quinn went away to jail for a very long time.

Quinn said, "Fuck you two, can't you get anything right. I told you just to scare her not tell her you were going to kill her." Fuck, he realized he said that a little too loud and the whole court heard him including the judge. If there was ever a deer in the headlights look Quinn had it on his face at that moment. He just sealed his own coffin.

Mr. C asked one more question. If you had to do it all over again would you have dated Quinn and would you have went to LSU? I told the court Quinn was my biggest regret and LSU was my dream since I was a little girl and I was going to fulfill my dream….

Mr. C said he had no further question.

The defense attorney looked at Quinn and whispered in his ear and then Quinn wrote something down on a pad… Quinn and the Defense attorney stood and told the judge they would like to change his Not-Guilty Plea to a Guilty Plea because of the new evidence.

The Judge told them both a little late for that but she would accept it. She ordered for him to sit back down as she passed sentence, she was not going to give him time to enter for a plea deal nor was she going to let him try for an appeal. The sentence was getting passed today.

After she wrote a few things down she said.

"Mr. Quinn please rise. I find you guilty of all charges."

For the charge of rape you will receive 25 years.

For the charge of battery you will receive 20 years for each charge or a total of 40 years.

For the two charges of Stalking with intent to cause bodily harm you will receive 10 years for each count or 20 years.

For assaulting a police officer, you will receive a sentence of 10 years. As you proved you were not smart enough to only do it once you did it 3 times.

For the charge of resisting arrest, you will receive 5 years.

By my count that is a sentence of 100 years.

It will be written into the record that you are a flight risk; you are to not be given parole as you do not feel remorse. You will be sent to the Louisiana State Prison and at that time your sentence will start and your time will be consecutively, you sir will serve all your time, Mr. Quinn, no getting out on good behavior.

Good luck Mr. Quinn, you will need it.

Before I continue Mr. Quinn do you have anything to say?

He turned to me and told me he was sorry, he did love me but his love became an obsession and he hurt a lot of people in the long run. To Catherine, he said he was sorry and nothing else.

The judge told the bailiff to cuff him and take him out of the court room before she proceeded with her next sentence.

Everyone looked at one another because they did not know what she was talking about.

Mrs. Quinn yelled to John that they would get him out. Give her time; they hadn't seen the last of the Mighty Quinn's.

As Quinn was lead away, the detective was asked to come forward. He was asked if he had his cuffs with him and he nodded yes. He was told to please place Frannie Quinn under arrest as an accomplice to the stalking and battery case of Sookie Stackhouse and Claudine Crane; that she was going to be sentenced here and now since she was a danger to the general population.

Mr. Glassport, will you represent her for the sentencing? He said yes that he would.

By this time momma Quinn was pissed, she jumped over the chairs and went after the judge. It was Jackson Herveaux who took her down; there was a heavy thump but she was still squirming to get at the judge. By this time, the Bailiff had come back in and took over for Mr. H. Damn what the hell was happening. All I could do is sit there with my mouth open and watch.

Mr. Glassport, I see that we will have two sentencings today. Will you represent both of these women? He said he would.

The judge proceeded to sentence Frannie Quinn to 50 years without parole for her role in the battery and stalking case. She was also ordered psychiatric treatment since she was even less void of remorse than her brother.

The judge then sentence Mrs. Quinn to 20 years without parole; for her role in guiding her children in their roles of battery and stalking crimes against three woman, Sookie Stackhouse, Catherine Reynolds and Claudine Crane. But she was to be held at the Psychiatric hospital as she was not fit for the general population at the LA Woman's correction facility.

Holy Mother of God….. What the hell just happened?

All three of the Quinn's were being locked up.

Catherine and I were now safe forever… it was too surreal.

We all hugged one another and thanked the DA. We thanked Mr. C but Copley told all of us we were going back to hotel for one more night and we were all celebrating our victory.

I felt happy but sad because Eric was not here to celebrate with us. He deserved to be here; he helped catch Quinn for god's sake. I missed him now more than ever.

We made it back to the Hotel and we all headed upstairs to clean up a bit and change if we wanted. Copley asked everyone to attend dinner including Felicia.

He told us to meet back downstairs in 45 minutes.

I knew as we rode the elevator upstairs there were questions about Frannie's notes but I only wanted to answer them once so I asked everyone to please wait until we were all together again… everyone agreed and we all dispersed to our own rooms.

I figured I would use this time to clean my face up and talk to Eric. I needed to let him know what happened.

As I talked to Eric, my mind started to calm down. I told him about everything and what the outcome was. It felt good. I felt good…. I felt like my life was turning towards the good.

FINALLY.

But I knew that once I got downstairs I would be hit with a lot of questions and I would be told I was an ass for keeping those threats to myself. I will have to explain to them at the time I thought I was doing the right thing.

This whole year had been fucked up by Quinn and Frannie and I would not let them fuck up the rest of my life.

It was **MY Life Now and I Was Going To Live It My Way**.

Well time was up and I went next door to collect Gran and take her down stairs for our dinner celebration.

As the elevator doors opened, I had three sets of angry eyes on me. That just made me more nervous than I already was.

I held my hand up in a stop motion and told them they had to wait.

They were not happy.

Tara, Amelia and Janice just glared at me. I was feeling uncomfortable until Mr. H came up behind me and put his arm around me and said he was proud of me and he had my back. I laughed.

The girls continued to glare.

As we all assembled and sat down I asked to be able to have the table for a minute to speak, I had something to say and I hope that this would be suffice and they would not ask me any questions.

I was nodded at, so I began.

"I want to thank you all for your time and help during these hard times; I want to say something to each one of you so I want to start to my left which is Mr. and Mrs. H."

"Mr. and Mrs. Herveaux, You treat me as your daughter and I appreciate everything you do and have done for me. You give me strength when I need it and I appreciate it. My parents died when I was little and you are the best adoptive parents I could ever have. I hope to have you in my life forever. Thank you."

"Janice, you have been my rock when I needed you and you never questioned my motives and I appreciate it. You might not have realized how over this past year you have done a lot more for me emotionally than I can ever admit. We have become close over the last two years and I hope we remain friends and sisters. I love you."

"Tara, you have been my friend since we were knee high to a grasshopper. You have been with me through a lot of good and bad times. This being one of the bad and it is over, we will survive this as we have everything else. Please do not judge me for keeping secrets now. I Love You"

"Mrs. Thornton, thank you for allowing Tara to be my friend and sister."

"Maria, we have been becoming better friends over the last year and I am sorry you got pulled into this mess but I look forward to our future as friends. Thank you"

"Mr. Starr, thank you for raising Maria to have the courage to stand up for what she felt is right."

"Catherine, we have only just met and I hope you find it in your heart to heal. You are a great person and if you would consider coming back to LSU I am sure we can find a place for you in our family. It was very strong of you to finally be able to stand up to Quinn and I hope you can heal now."

"Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, be proud of your daughter she did good."

"Claudine, my sister, my roomie and my counselor. You my friend are one of a kind, there are not many people out there who would stand up to someone like Quinn and shrug it off. You analyze everything and I love you for it. I know we only have another year together as you will be graduating next year but I hope we stay in touch. You will always be my guardian angel. I love you with all my heart."

"Mr. and Mrs. Crane, you raised a wonderful daughter, be very proud of her."

"Copley, you are a wonderful father to both Amelia and me. You have my heart as you have given me yours. I am proud to call you a friend and a father figure. I love you deeply. Thank you for all of your help during this horrible time with Quinn. I will never forget your kindness."

"Amelia, you are my sister in every way except by birth. You are a rock for me to lean on; you always have been and always will be. I hid something from you because unlike you I like to keep a few things private. I love you, I always will and I hope you can forgive me for hiding those notes from you. As I said at the trial, it was my cross to bear and with Mr. C's help I was able to weld my sword and dealt with it in the best possible way. You will always be in my life and I Love You."

"Mr. C, you my kind friend are a pistol and you know it. You helped me more than you will ever know and you gave me the strength and will power to present those letters into evidence. It helped to put away Frannie and I will be forever in your debt. You are a kind and gentle soul and I am happy you were on my side. Thank You."

Felicia, Thank you for coming and if you could please tell Mr. Northman I am forever in his debt for being so observant I will never know how to repay him, he stepped up for someone he did not know and I will love him forever for it. Please let him know that I would like to meet up with him to thank him in person whenever he is in Louisiana again. Thank you again for your time and coming to the trial. You have become a great friend and I hope we keep in touch…"

"Gran, what can I say. You raised me right and showed me how to be strong and to be a survivor and after this chapter of my life I am a survivor. I love you so much and I don't know what else I can possibly say to you that you don't already now. Thank you for raising me after Mommy and Daddy died, you were the best surrogate parent anyone could ever have. Thank you for coming to the Trial, I needed your strength. I love you."

Last but not least, "Thank you God for giving me strength when I needed it most today."

"Now for those letters, I hid them from all of you because I thought Frannie was just blowing off smoke like she did back at home. I really did not pay close attention to what she wrote because I believed deep down she would never hurt me. Yes, I was wrong and I regret not letting any of you know. But as I told Mr. C it was a burden I did not want to inflict on any one else. I realized the other night when I went outside by myself that the noise I heard could have been Frannie watching and stalking me. And from what she said in the courtroom she was on the Shreveport set while we were there as Extras. I never saw her so I guess she was good at concealment. I promise, I will never do something like that again. It was very foolish of me and I regret it. I hope that you do not have to remind me of that. The only positive thing about those notes is that I was smart enough to save them, it helped with this case and I believe it is what sealed the deal. As for what the meaner and more violent ones said, that is for the court and Mr. C to know about. Jackson and Copley, if you feel better about knowing what they said I gave Mr. C my permission to tell you, and only you two, in private. I do not want everyone to feel sorry for me so I really don't want to elaborate on them. Know that I would not wish some of what she wrote on my worst enemy. She was very graphic and she had a sick and warped mind. Just be grateful as I am that she is away for a very long time. Maybe she will piss off the wrong person and they will do to her what she wanted to do to me. I know that is not very Christian of me but it is what I feel in my heart."

Thank you for letting me speak, I hope we can drop this subject right here and now and never speak of it again.

I looked around the table and I saw the girls crying and shaking their heads that they would not ask any questions. I was grateful for that. I thought to myself, thank you Eric for making me strong during my speech.

I sat back down and everyone gave their own little speeches of thank you to everyone. Felicia even stood up and told me she recorded my little speech and would let Mr. Northman hear it; she wanted him to hear it from my own lips not hers.

I just had a big ass smile on my face. I must have looked like a goon.

The night went by fast but we enjoyed everyone's company. The parents were leaving in the morning to go home and we were all headed back to school. It was Friday so we figured we would take the day off to relax. We needed it.

We all woke up in the morning and said our good byes and told our parents we would see them in a month after our school term ended.

I felt alive for the first time in along time.

It was great to be me.

When we arrived back at school there was a banner hanging at our Dorm doors.

**YOU WON YOU SURVIVED NOW LET'S PARTY **

The rest of the dorm heard about the Trial and the outcome from Bob the security guy. So LSU agreed to let the whole dorm out of their classes for the day to plan a party to celebrate. The school was happy that a rapist and stalker was caught and put in jail. I think Copley had something to do with it because no one said where the cash came from for a party of this magnitude.

…. Thank you Copley….

But that wasn't the only surprise waiting for me. When I got to our floor the RA was waiting for me.

In her hands, she had a dozen yellow roses, balloons and a small box. I asked who they were from and she said she did not know, but there was a card attached to the flowers.

I took the gifts and walked into my room followed by my posse of friends.

The Balloons read, Congrats, You made it, Best Wishes.

I opened up the small box and it had a necklace in it. It Read **SURVIVOR.**

I had Amelia put it around my neck.

The yellow roses smelled amazing, I loved yellow roses. I wondered who sent them.

So I bit the bullet and read the card.

_**Ms. Stackhouse**_

_**Congratulations on your win. **_

_**You are now listed as a survivor. We share this trait unfortunately.**_

_**Enjoy your life, you have it back now.**_

_**Thank you for your kind words, Felicia forwarded them onto me, but it was nothing for me to report what I saw. **_

_**Good luck in your endeavors. **_

_**I hope to meet you one day so I can put a face with your name, Miss Stackhouse.**_

_**Until then, Eric**_

OMG, what the hell.

He sent me flowers and a necklace.

Oh my stars he has no clue which one of us is Miss Stackhouse because he did not call me by my name, Sookie.

Won't he be surprised when we finally meet?

I turned to the girls with a big as grin on my face and said.

**YOU KNOW WHAT, "LET'S PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999"…..**

We all left and had a great day. Tomorrow was another day.


	11. Trial Part 2

**CHAPTER 10 Trial/ EPOV/ Part 2**

After the Shreveport debacle, I tried to calm myself down. There was no way to fix this, yet, and my mom agreed. She told me that the FATES had decided it was not our time yet, but to have faith.

The only thing I had faith in was my ability to act, so that is what I did. I jumped in feet first and was more professional about it than before. I went back to being the practical joker of the cast and so everyone could have a feeling of Zen. We were all calm and our work showed much improvement; everyone was happy.

The crew had been unsure of me in Shreveport because I chewed them all out for spotlighting the wrong dancer. They said they could not tell who I was watching so they figured it was Dawn. I called them imbeciles and I looked at the footage they taped; I showed them the dancer I was watching and they all watched her in awe as they agreed she should have been spotlighted but it was too late now… The episode was already complete and we moved on.

Things went back to normal. Alcide and I hung out.

Alcide's relationship had taken a turn when Angela told him she could not take the girls throwing themselves at him 24/7 any longer. They were doing it even when she was with him; she was growing more and more tired of it. I can't say I blame her, we were used to this garbage but I knew if they had time apart they could possibly work out their differences. She just needed a break and her family. They made the joint decision to back off a little bit and rethink their relationship. Alcide loved her and thought it was nonsense but she wanted to go back home to Canada where she felt normal. So he took her to the airport and that was that. They talked every day but it still wasn't enough for Alcide. His eye never roved but he was lonely without her.

So now Alcide and I are inseparable. We do everything together; there was even a rumor started by one of the RAGS that we were gay buds and the woman we dated were our shields. We both laughed at that one.

The taping of the episodes went well this year and we were able to fly to Shreveport for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Janice told me she still had her friend Sookie that she wanted me to meet, but Sookie opted to stay with her Gran since she was getting on in her years. Janice said if she had known we would definantly be there for both holidays, she would have pressed her to come up for a few days, since she was only an hour away. But I told her that because of the shooting of episodes there was never a definite to anything.

Of course Alcide took this moment to speak up about the HOT chick he told me about.

So he asked Janice if Sookie was that girl with the polka dot bikini from the summer and she said yes.

Why?

Alcide said no reason but that girl could wear that bikini around him any time she wanted. This earned Alcide a head slap from Jackson. Jackson told Alcide that Sookie was a good girl and to respect her.

I chuckled at him; the dolt should have kept his trap shut. I asked Jackson about Sookie and he told me she was a timid little thing. Scared of her own shadow because of a stalker, but she was sweet and a good girl, very respectful to him and the misses. But hopefully the stalking issues was coming to an end soon because they caught him red handed. We didn't talk much more about Sookie. I figured if I ever got to met her I could talk to her kindly and then back away. I didn't need another crazy chick in my life.

After Thanksgiving, Alcide and I went for a drive to Baton Rouge, we figured it was Black Friday and every woman in Baton Rouge would be in the malls and shopping; so we guessed we would go unnoticed driving around Baton Rouge. . We went by the BRPD to see if Det. Coughlin could give us any news. He happened to be off for the holiday so the Desk Sergeant filled us in. The case was still on back log but had a tentative date for March. We told him thank you for the update and we headed for LSU; it was a long shot but we thought maybe we would spot her walking around.

No such luck, we were batting a thousand on this trip so we headed back to Shreveport. It was a long day but we got a lot accomplished.

We hung out and relaxed for the next two days and then took the red eye back so we could finish the final shots for the season.

We got everything done quickly so Alcide and I opted to take a side trip to Vegas to play some poker and then we would fly from there back to his parents for Christmas.

We had a great time. Alcide called Angela a couple of times to ask her if she wanted to come to Louisiana with us for Christmas. She told him she had other plans. So he said fuck it and we went back to having fun.

I think that was her way of telling him there was someone else but I stayed out of it. I did not want to pry so I kept him busy so he wouldn't pine over her.

Christmas was nice in Louisiana; I called my mom to tell her Merry Christmas and I spent a relaxed and blissful time with the Herveaux's. The only thing missing was Pam so Alcide called her and asked her if she wanted to come down and spend New Year's week with a couple of lushes. She jumped for the chance and we picked her up at the airport.

The three of us were cut from the same cloth and got along so well that we just had a great time sitting by the pool and drinking.

No paparazzi around so we could be crude and obnoxious to each other without it getting on film. It was awesome to be so relaxed; we don't get that very often. We all agreed the Herveaux house would be our go to place to unwind for now on. .

It was coming time for Janice to go back to school so we said our goodbyes to her because when she and her friend left in the morning we would still be passed out from the drinking the night before.

Alcide asked her if the piece of crap yellow car was still going to be parked in the garage for the rest of the year and Janice said of course it is, Daddy wouldn't have it any other way. Dad made it clear he did not want Sookie driving that car back to Baton Rouge **EVER**. . He was even trying to figure out a way to fix it or give her a newer one. Sookie hated handouts so Dad has to be careful on how he approaches the subject with her.

Well I was so busy during the Christmas holidays that I didn't even think about my Sookie. It felt nice to be able to relax and be me without obsessing.

That was until I caught the scent of cherries and honey in the front hallway.

It smelt familiar but I didn't know why.

I asked Mrs. H who was in the foyer and she said Sookie before they left.

Hmmmm, why did I recognize this smell? Shit now I am thinking about my Sookie again.

Damn it, I was doing so well.

Alcide took me outside to the garage to see this car he called a piece of shit. Damn that car was better off in a junk yard but I am sure she was proud of it because it was her own and it was bought and paid for it. I know sometimes, I wonder why I have to drive around in an expensive car but I love my Porsche, so I am keeping it…. It makes me feel good when I can take it out in the desert and drive it like it should be, fast. I still do love my last car, a Cherry Red Corvette, but I guess for now I will live with the Porsche. Of course that had me feeling bad that I am driving around in a $200,000 car and her piece of shit is worth maybe $500 dollars. Maybe I will have to rethink how vain I am being about needing a Porsche and there are other people out there struggling with what they have. Ah hell, I will worry about that another day. I am on vacation for god's sake.

As we got closer to the garage, I asked Alcide if the car was unlocked, I wanted to take a look inside of it. I wasn't a snob but the inside was in great shape, she took care of it but the outside, damn it has seen better days. Again, that smell, cherries and honey. Damn if she smelt this good, it might be in my better interest to get acquainted with her the next time we are both in Shreveport.

I saw a picture on the passenger seat, it must have been Sookie's grandmother she was smiling and being bashful. It was a great picture, she reminded me of someone else but I couldn't lay my finger on whom. So I put the picture back and look around some more.

That's when Jackson came outside and asked us if we had any ideas on how to get rid of that piece of shit and replace it with something newer. Alcide said we could accidentally back into it with the truck over there. We all laughed; we didn't figure she would let us get away with that excuse. We needed some perfectly sound explanation we could get away with it.

That's when Pam came out and said she would accidentally run if off the road into a ditch. She said she needed to get to the store quickly so she took the first set of keys she could find and they happened to belong to the little yellow car so she went with it. She figured it was on the Herveaux's property so it would be okay. Besides, it was the only keys she could find.

Hell it was plausible and it would help Jackson out. But we had to make sure there was enough damage done that it was not fixable.

So we three goons sat at the pool, drinking away and coming up with a plan to go for a little spin in a yellow Tercel. The way we were thinking, it was lucky if we had one brain between the three of us.

It was Alcide's idea to drive and stretch the seat back so far as to break the locking mechanisms for the driver seat.

It was Pam's idea on what ditch we should drive off into. She said she saw it when we drove her in the other day.

It was my idea to drive the backup vehicle.

The Three Musketeers - that was us.

So off we went looking for the ditch, ohh we found it… it had a couple nice boulders in it from a recent rock slide. Perfect.

So Pam got out of the car and climbed into the pickup. Alcide went back down the road and started towards us, going about 60 miles an hour (speed limit was 35mph) and slid around the corner. He missed the ditch by a long shot. So he tried it again. The car handled very well for a piece of crap car, so this time I took a turn. I popped the emergency brake as I went into the curve and damn if I didn't hit a boulder or two. I also hit my head but I was laughing so hard it didn't hurt. Plus the alcohol I had consumed help a lot.

A little blood never hurt a good crime scene.

So we took a look at our project and how bent up the frame was underneath, mission accomplished. Now we had to tow it back and give Jackson a cover story.

He had the car already picked out for Sookie so it was only a waiting game for her to come home during Spring Break and he would break it gently to her.

I sure as hell didn't want to be in his shoes.

**Game plan Sookie**

**Tell her it was an accident**

**Tell her Pam used her car because it was the only keys she could find**

**Tell her Pam got into an accident with it and cut her head**

**Pam was trying to avoid the rock slide and ended up hitting the boulders instead**

It seemed solid, now to convince Sookie once she got home, plus Jackson was keeping the car to show her the damage.

Damn, that was too much fun.

Our fun would be coming to a close come February because all of us had new jobs or in my case I was going to visit my mom in Sweden.

The new movie shoot started in April so that would give me plenty of time to come back for the depositions and for the trial in March. I wanted to be here for Miss Stackhouse, I knew that my testimony was vital to her case.

Plus being so close to LSU I could try to find my Sookie; Hell she might even be with her friend Miss Stackhouse at the trial; even better.

Sweden was fun but not as much fun as Louisiana.

No booty calls this time around but I still partied and had fun with some of my old friends.

I spent a month and a half waiting for a call from BRPD but it never came.

I was running out of time. I needed to be in Iceland in two weeks.

Shit what the hell was I going to do?

I called Felicia, my producer for "Blood Moon" and told her what was up. She said she would call the detective and see what was going on with the case and get back to me. Felicia said she would go in my place if she was needed. She wanted to make sure Miss Stackhouse was helped out in every way. She was figuring I would probably need to do my deposition via tele-conference but she would get that verified for me.

I spoke with the director of my movie, Victor Madden, and let him know I was a witness in a pending case in the states. I told him about the deposition and he said he would make sure an arrangement would be made so that I could do a tele-conference on the day that the court appointed. I told him once I got that date I would let him know.

Iceland doesn't have the best reception so we were going to have to be hooked up by a satellite feed. I asked him about leaving for the week of the trial and he said that was impossible; it would break the flow of the filming.

I felt screwed. I felt nauseous. Shit I missed Sookie again.

We had been filming for three weeks when I was called at the last minute about the tele-conference apparently they only wanted this John Quinn guy out of his cell for a day.

They were worried he was a flight risk.

The deposition was scheduled for Wednesday that gave us two days to set everything up. I let Victor know and he said everything was already set up; all they needed was a time. I told it was set for 2pm Louisiana time which would be 9pm our time. He said he would make the arrangements.

So the day was finally here. I got to see this asshole up close and in person, by monitor of course.

He was seething, his glare could kill and I figured he scared the girls shitless.

Me, fuck him, Fuckin predator, you are going away buddy for good if I had anything to do with it.

The deposition took about an hour and then we were done. I asked about the trial date and they said it would start on Tuesday of the next week. Shit there was no way I could be there.

I told them I would be unable to attend but Felicia Ramirez would go in my place. The DA said, that would not be an issue since Miss Ramirez was already fully aware of what happened that day at Starbucks and she could confirm my statements given at my deposition.

Tuesday came up really quick. I was worried all day for Miss Stackhouse. I didn't know what was happening at the trial and I was getting distracted on the set by my worry.

Victor knew about the trial and my worries so he pulled me to the side. He told me there was nothing I could do and since we were six hours ahead the trial hadn't even started yet. Yeah, that distracted me until I realized the time… I counted back on my fingers to verify it. Victor thought it was cute how I was counting on my fingers and filmed it. He said some how he was getting that shot into the movie...

Dolt, I just shook my head….

I did not hear from Felicia the first night so the worry started again the following morning.

Victor gave me the same speech as the day before and when he figured I was obsessing he would give me this evil looking grin. It was nice he cared enough but creepy in its own right.

I finally heard from Felicia about 6pm my time. She was on a lunch break so she needed to make the phone call quick. She said she did not think that Miss Stackhouse would be called to the stand today. They still had three more of the friends/witnesses to call to the stand first and so far the evidence they had against this Quinn character was enough to put three people away. She hoped that the girls made it through this unscathed. Felicia said she was spending time with the girls and their families and she had started to become close to them. They had dinner the night before and Sookie told her about the dance she did for me at the extras call.

The DANCE, how could I freaking forget about that erotic dance.

Shit I needed to be there.

I needed to be there to help Miss Stackhouse.

I needed to be there to meet Sookie in person.

Shit. Fuck. Damn.

We talked for a few more minutes and she told me that she would relay any messages I had for Miss Stackhouse; I told her I had a better idea but to call me first thing after the trial ended so that we could put it into place. I could work it from here and she could finalize it from there.

Fuck, it would be an awesome surprise for her when she got back to her dorm.

Felicia left me a message during the evening after she spent time with the families. The girls were in good spirits but the trial was tough for all of them. Their friend was hurt badly and Quinn's first victim was also there and the girls rallied around her so that she did not crack. Felicia said she wished I had been there because Miss Stackhouse wanted to thank me personally and she said I was in her debt.

As if. She owed me nothing.

So the worry started again in the morning because I was told Miss Stackhouse would be testifying this morning. I knew she was in good hands but I still wish I had been there.

It was about 4pm when I got this eerie feeling in my gut like someone was trembling uncontrollably. Was it my Sookie?

Was she hurt?

Shit I need to be in Baton Rouge. We were tied together somehow, I guess what my mom said about being soul mates was true. Damn it, I need to be there for her.

I tried to work but there were times when I felt too nauseous to continue. I told Victor I was sick and he told me I was done for the day, to go get some rest.

I immediately went back to the hotel and paced. I paced for like forever, but it was only for about 2 hours, it was 6pm my time and I got that uncontrollable trembling again, I wanted to double over. WTF was going on. I felt like she was in pain and there was no way for me to help her. What the hell was happening?

Felicia, I need you to call me NOW. I finally texted her and told her that same exact thing. Apparently she had her phone on vibrate and looked at the text during the trial. She said she would call soon, it was almost over. That it was WAY worse than we thought; this guy was an animal. But she didn't want to explain by text.

My stomach started to calm down and I felt really good. Happy, I guess you could say. I guess things had ended and we could finally get back to normal. It was about an hour later when Felicia gave me a call.

She said that the trial went well and Mr. Quinn was given a 100 year jail sentence. And the kicker was his family was involved too, so they put away both the sister and the mother. It was fucking awesome to watch. She said she watched Jackson take down the mom because she was going after the judge. There was so much chaos at the end of the trial that everyone had forgotten the heart retching story Miss Stackhouse had given up on the stand. The things this man put her through were horrendous. She said that she was going out with the families again tonight and if there were any messages from her she would leave them for me later on in my voice mail. I told her thank you for calling me and I had emailed her about the surprise for Miss Stackhouse and could she make sure it was there for her arrival on Friday at the dorm.

I told her to have a nice night and I would talk to her tomorrow if she found that she needed me for anything concerning the surprise.

I knew she would get the information about the dorm house so I was not concerned about that, I just wanted it there upon Miss Stackhouse's arrival. I hope it worked out the way I planned.

I woke up the following morning to a voice mail. It was Miss Stackhouse thanking everyone one by one. She went around the table an addressed everyone individually and then it was my turn. It was a very kind gesture for her to do so and I needed to let her know that her debt was repaid by being a survivor, so I called a jeweler I knew in Shreveport and asked them if they could help me out. They said they knew of a jeweler in Baton Rouge and they might have what I was looking for. I thanked them for their help. I called The Baton Rouge jeweler and they had something that was perfect. I told them where to have it delivered but they would need to send it to the security office because I did not know what dorm house she was in. They offered to hand deliver it to the security office so it would not go missing; they knew this was important to me.

Everything fell together nicely. The trial was over, Miss Stackhouse was a survivor, I repaid a debt more or less and the filming of my movie went without a hitch.

My world had finally balanced out.

Yes, I thought about Sookie a lot but I was not obsessing over her, yes I had her picture with me and yes I looked at her nightly. Which led me to start my own mantra at night; I still believe that her well wishes or I hope they were well wishes is what I felt every morning and night. I told her I missed her every day, we would meet soon since we were FATED and to have sweet dreams (of me of course).

TODAY, IT WAS GOOD TO BE ME.

Authors Note: I know I know why hasn't he connected Sookie and Miss Stackhouse **OR** maybe that his Sookie is Janice's Sookie after Felicia mentions Jackson taking down Mrs. Quinn… all will be revealed, just be patient. Know that Eric and Sookie **ARE NOT** thinking clearly and everything around them is influencing their decisions and missed connections. It will happen but not right away, real life gets in the way. Just an FYI, this is loosely based on a story a friend told me about his parents it took them 10 years to get together, no its not going to be that long but be patient not all relationships are instantaneous. I know some of you want that instant connection but I just don't see it happening…. Sorry ….


	12. Trial Part 3

_Just a little Note_: my Beta got busy so this chapter and maybe a few later will be un-Beta'd, so if there are mistakes they are all mine ….. If you see a lot of that's and then's, that is all me, sorry….. I am bad for them and lack of commas.

Happy Holidays

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of SVM they are all Charlaine Harris's. Thank you for letting me put my spin on their lives.

* * *

**CHAPTER 10/ QPOV/ Part 3**

Well hell, I hated jail.

I shouldn't be here.

What the hell was taking Frannie so long to get Sookie to change her mind?

There was no way in hell they had anything on me to convict me of anything.

I had been in here for two months now and I felt lonely as hell. Sure my cell mate kept me occupied, he was nuts, Franklin was off the wall.

He was easy to talk to. He listened and did not talk back (it was the perfect situation); the most I got out of him was a fucking evil ass smirk or a toothy grin.

Like I said NUTS.

Frannie and Mom came and visited me but I was always chained to the wall and it freaked them out every time they saw me. Mom said she did not understand what was going on and why they would not release me if all I did was stalk someone. I told her to hang in there it couldn't be much longer.

I spoke with my lawyer a couple of times as the months went on. I realized that Glassport was a conniving asshole so I figure he would serve my purpose well and get me out of here.

He said right now all the DA had on me was statements from my supposed victims but he was working to get them thrown out. He seemed to be a decent public defender.

But after a year things turned for the worse, it was right after I had my last visit from Glassport. He said the amount of evidence they now had on me was substantial and if I was offered a Plea Deal, take it.

Hell Fucking NO…..

He said that apparently not only was Sookie cooperating but so were Catherine and that roommate bitch Claudine. Apparently they were able to get a video tape of me lurking outside Starbucks and Walgreens and that is was very incriminating since it lasted for three hours of me sneaking around.

Fuck I didn't notice any cameras.

Apparently the worst of all their evidence was the witness at Starbucks who saw me watching Sookie and reported it. Who the fuck was that, no one knew I was there. No one saw me I made sure of that.

Shit

But he had one more zinger for me and this was worse than all the rest.

Glassport was nervous, sweating nervous; "it seems that your cell mate is Schizophrenic so he is under constant surveillance, so in turn so are you. They have numerous tapes of what he says and apparently you are on these tapes too."

"Mr. Quinn, how much did you tell him?"

"Shit, I don't know. I talk to him about all kinds of things but I don't think it was anything worth mentioning. Is there any way to find out exactly what they have from the tapes?"

Glassport said that they had to give him full disclosure on the tapes but he was waiting for his copy to be sent over to him and once he went through it he would get back to me.

I asked him if I should ask to be moved from Franklin cell and he said that it was not necessary since what ever they think you incriminated yourself with was already recorded. But to be careful with what I said from now on since the cell was under surveillance.

Well Mom and Frannie came to visit often; I think it was August when they let me know they moved closer so they could come visit me all the time. I think I preferred them not so close but I wasn't going to say it.

They told me they had been sending Sookie notes to back off and they think it was working. Frannie said since they moved closer to the school she could do it all the time and no one would notice her, she was becoming quit stealthy.

I hope she was right.

It was late October when Frannie came to visit me again, this time alone, she told me she followed Sookie to Shreveport where she was an Extra for a TV show.

WTF, Sookie doesn't watch TV.

Frannie said she got on the same stage as Sookie and watched her. She was dancing for the main character of the show, but the worst part about it was she was dressed like a slut and dancing like one too.

I LOST IT.

I asked her to explain what she meant.

Frannie said Sookie was dancing by herself but she could see from her vantage point that Sookie was dancing for him, Eric Northman, if she had a stripper pole she would have stripped for him.

I was not happy, Sookie was MINE.

I let Frannie know I was pleased with the information and when I was released I would make Sookie paid for her indiscretion. To step up on the notes she was leaving.

Once Frannie left I sat down to think about everything she told me. I was not happy about it but at least I knew Sookie had not slept with him. How could she, she said she would be true to me.

As the months wore on I was getting more encouragement from Mom and Frannie. They said that Glassport not coming to me with anything new was good news; that I would be released once the case went to trial. It was my words against the bitches.

My hopes got high after that. I was going to kick this RAP and then Sookie and I would sit down and have a little conversation about her dalliances.

Well March came around; I was told by Glassport they were getting ready for the depositions. I told him I wanted to be there for **ALL** of them. He said he would make the arrangements.

I was told the depositions were going to be on hold till April since Spring Break was here for the girls and since I requested to be at ALL of the depositions they were trying to make arrangements for everyone to be at the courthouse on the same day. So it was a matter of time management now.

It's was April, I was told that they had come up with a day for everyone to attend. So of course I was looking forward to that since I knew if I could intimidate any or all of the girls, they would call for my release. I was so looking forward to this.

The day came, first up was Catherine, ohh this would be an easy one. I stared her down and she ran. The DA didn't even offer to help her out… maybe she was on my side…. She knew the girls were lying bitches. I was getting greedy, I thought i was up one but a few minutes later in walked Catherine again with an older gentleman.

Shit a lawyer.

No matter, she was toast.

I was so wrong this guy took NO SHIT from me. The worst part was he was the lawyer for **ALL** of the girls…. The girls stood up to me even Sookie. I may have to rethink how to intimidate them better…. I needed them to back down and soon.

All seven of them did not back down,kept their cool and told there part of the story. Shit my lawyer was even perturbed that they did so well.

The worst deposition of all was the one that was teleconferenced while the detective was in the room...i couldn't intimidate a man. Then to find out it was that blonde guy Sookie was flirting with pissed me off even more. He stated his name as Eric Northman, he was part of the cast of "Blood Moon"… he stated all the facts as he knew them, yeah right. He didn't know Sookie was MINE, not his douche bag.

He said he saw me lurking both inside and outside the building. He also stated he did not know who I was watching but he didn't like it. He said when he left the building a little later he saw me by Walgreens again so he told Security I was still there.

Shit, He is why i got caught. Asshole, pay backs are a bitch.

Then it dawned on me as he finished up his deposition that he was the guy Frannie said Sookie danced for in Shreveport. I will kill them both, she is MINE.

I needed to get released soon so that I could take care of this little situation. I was not having it go on for much longer.

The day did not end up as I had hoped but at least that was over,the trial would start next week and then I will be out, collect Sookie and disappear.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

The Trial was not going as planned.

Judge Talbot was not having any bull shit and called me on it before we even got too involved with testimonies. She was a real Ball Buster… As the jury was picked I figure I could flash my purple eyes a time or too and my charisma would win over the woman on the jury panel. I was set.

Yeah that did not happen, at least not yet.

The jury was pooled and they wanted to start today. We got a 10 minute recess and then that's when the first of many things happened.

The court room doors opened and in walked ten adults who all set down together and just glared at me, I recognized Gran, Copley and Catherine's parents but the rest of them I was clueless on. There was this bear of a man sitting next to Gran and he was not giving me his happy face, shit who the hell was he?

Well I didn't have time to think about it, the judge called us to order, we were going to start. First up Catherine, shit this would be easy. Oh shit there is the freakin lawyer again; I won't be able to get away with shit.

I sat there and listened to everything they had, it included the investigative stuff the Detective had done; shit there was a lot more information on me than Glassport had told me about.

Now I knew why he told me to take a plea if offered. Shit…. Shit and I thought I was going to get away with a light sentence.

We finished up the day and still no Sookie, I was looking forward to glaring at her again, plus I missed her and wanted to see her….

Back to jail I went.

The following morning I was being lead in when I looked down the hall; there they all stood adults and bitches. So I screamed out that they we all BITCHEs and I got hauled away. I heard some commotion in the hallway but did not know what was going on, i ignored it.

Best to keep my distance until I was released.

The first one up the following day was someone in place of Northman; she was also at Starbucks and was able to corroborate what Northman had said in his deposition. Even when he wasn't here, he was a pain in my ass.

I would like to drain the son of a bitch.

Then a couple more detectives were called up to testify, then four more of the girls. That just left Sookie.

When was she coming in?

That's when I looked at Frannie and she was smirking like a goon.

What did she know that I didn't, what did she do?

I then looked over on the other side of the court room and figured out who all those adults were, the girls each sat with their parent or parents, ohh shit they had a back up plan to my intimidation. That big guy was still glaring at me. Who the hell was he? The worst part was I could tell they all hated me that included Gran, that sweet ol' woman did not hate any one.

Well court was recessed again and still no Sookie so I would have to wait for day three. Glassport did not say much to me. I did not know if he gave up or was waiting for his turn. I guess I would have to wait.

Day 3 and Sookie was finally called in.

The DA questioned her and drilled her like she was the defendant. I liked her.

Then the question I was dreading to hear the answer to.

"Miss Stackhouse, have you had a sexual relationship with Eric Northman?" She gasped, the gallery gasped and then I heard it, a timid, "I Wish" that bitch. A few snickers especially from the big guy, who the fuck was he?

The DA finished up and asked Sookie if she had anything else? She said she did but she would prefer her lawyer doing the questioning.

Well call me stupid, but WTF.

Her entourage didn't even know about this. This was going to be good or so i thought.

So I said quickly figuring I could use this to my advantage and said, "Frannie what the fuck did you do?"

The lawyer started to ask Sookie questions about some letters and she answered them. Then I figured that the letters she talked about were the intimidation notes from Mom and Frannie, shit she kept them.

As she handed them over to the judge, the judge then scanned them quickly; I looked back at Frannie she was still smiling like a goon. What the hell were in the notes and letters and why the fuck did she sign her name to them?

As the judged explained what the letters had contained and she wanted Sookie to read a few of them out load, she looked devastated. Sookie started to cry silently but she held her own.

I looked over at the gallery; they were all stunned speechless until she started to read. The letters only got worse as she read them; when I turned toward the gallery again all of them were crying including the big guy (he looked like he could kill me with his bare hands, he was that pissed). SHIT.

As Sookie read the last one, I turned to Frannie and said quietly so no one could hear me, "Fuck you two, can't you get anything right. I told you just to scare her not tell her you were going to kill her." Fuck, it was then that I realized I said it too loud and the whole court heard me including the judge.

Fucking A, I just sealed the deal, I was done.

But Sookie continue about her thoughts on the matter of mom and Frannie attacking her but she still came to testify. . It was then I decided to man up and take the bull by the horns.

I knew I was toast and Frannie would not be far behind me. She did not even have the forethought to run.

So I took the notepad from my lawyer and wrote,

**END THIS NOW!**

Sookie was asked to step down and I watched her run to the big guy who gave her a big bear hug and then the woman next to him kissed Sookie's cheek as Gran kissed the other one. The big guy was here for Sookie, damn, who was he? Glassport than stood up and told the judge we wanted to change our plea.

The Judge told us both a little late for that but she would accept it. She ordered for me to sit back down as she passed sentence, she was not going to give me any time to enter for a plea deal nor was she going to let me try for an appeal. The sentence was getting passed today.

The jury would no longer be involved with the decision making since I changed my plea nor would they be involved with sentencing, well hell.

After she wrote a few things down she said.

"Mr. Quinn please rise. I find you guilty of all charges."

"For the charge of rape you will receive 25 years.

For the charge of battery you will receive 20 years for each charge or a total of 40years.

For the two charges of Stalking with intent to cause bodily harm you will receive 10 years for each count or 20years.

For assaulting a police officer you will receive a sentence of 10years. You proved you were not smart enough to only do it once you did it 3 times_**. Yeah I was pretty stupid about that one.**_

For the charge of resisting arrest you will receive 5 years. _WTF was I thinking_.

By my count that is a sentence of 100 years.

It will be written into the record that you are a flight risk; you are to not be given parole as you do not feel remorse. You will be sent to the Louisiana State Prison and at that time your sentence will start; your time will be consecutively, you will serve all your time Mr. Quinn, there will be no getting out on good behavior."

"Good luck Mr. Quinn, you will need it."

Before she continued Judge Talbot ask me if I wanted to say something?

I turned to Sookie and told her I was sorry, that I did love her but my love for her became an obsession and I hurt a lot of people in the long run. To Catherine, I said I was sorry.

I knew I was done for; I hung my head and was to be lead out by the bailiff.

The judge told the bailiff to cuff me and take me out of the court room before she proceeded with her next sentence.

I heard chaos behind me but I was done so I didn't turn around. I figured they were after Frannie and possibly Mom and that's when I heard mom say, "She would get me out. Give her time; they hadn't seen the last of the Mighty Quinn's."

She was so wrong on so many levels I did not have the heart to tell her this was the last time she would see me alive and possibly the last time she would ever see Frannie too. I screwed so many things up in my life but by far this was the biggest.

I knew then, I needed to pull my head out of my ass or be killed in prison, I would be a model prisoner with no light at the end of the tunnel but I would do what I could to atone for my sins.

Goodbye my sweet Sookie.

* * *

_Authors Note_: Happy Holidays to everyone I will try to post next week on schedule. I just wanted to answer a comment made to me about Sookie and Eric… The person said they did not believe this relationship was plausible. I say that is not true … I have two cases that I spoke about to her, one being a close friend of mines parents and me and my husband. My friend's parents took 10 years of missed events until they got together and it was 2 years for my husband and me….. Real life gets in the way and because it does people do not always see the obvious. Things slide by you and you put it into check for later but sometimes later never occur or it occurs when you have a déjà vu moment and everything clicks. I hope you all are enjoying this story as I am have fun writing it but it you feel that the story is not worth your attention then please stop reading, I will understand. Sookie and Eric will NOT have an instant romance and if you are looking for that, it is not in this story…. Sorry about my angst and making you wait but I want you to know it will be worth it. Also a note on the Herveaux's not putting two and two together, it happens but since this is a chapter story it may not occur when you want it too and my characters are not totally stupid they are just missing a bit of information. You will see, the chapter will be called "Light Bulb". Until then my best Kristie


	13. Life After The Trial

Note: This chapter is un-Beta'd. All the mistakes are mine. Again, If there are a lot of then and that's, it is all me I tend to use them a lot….and of course my lack of comma's. Happy Holidays…

* * *

**Chapter 11 Life AFTER the Trial **

**SPOV**

After the survivor party life went by quickly and quietly... It was odd to be so relaxed. I felt alive again after 2 years, why had I not noticed that I was drowning in a sea of Quinn. He sucked the life out of me and I didn't even know it….

We only had a couple of weeks left before we would head home for the summer, which meant saying goodbye to a few of my close friends, but I knew in my heart that as a group of survivors we would always remain close. We were even told that Catherine was going to be starting back at LSU in the fall and the school would make sure she was on the same floor of the dorm as us.

LSU had decided to give her a full scholarship so that she could attend the school once again…. She was very excited.

I wasn't too sure it was the schools doing or more like Copley, but I wasn't going to rain on her parade.

I realized something as we were getting ready to leave for the summer, I loved my life now… I loved my friends dearly… I was in love with Eric Northman…

The girls had asked me about Eric... They wanted to know if I still had my pictures and what my feelings about him were. I didn't know how to respond so I shrugged them off… I thought if I avoided the questions they would give up asking…

….Was I ever wrong…..

It was the last weekend before school let out and we were all studying for our finals when they all seemed to glare at me once and say, "Sook we need to talk NOW."

OH SHIT.

Amelia spoke first, "Sook, we want to know what is up with you? We want to know if we will ever get you out on a date with someone if you are asked. Most of all we want to know what is up with you and Eric Northman?"

I took a huge deep breath and let it out…..

Here we go…

"Girls I am fine, I have come to realize my life wasn't mine and I was drowning in what I thought I wanted. I wanted Quinn and a life with him… I now realize that was a foolish dream….. He took over my life and my dreams and it took the trial for me to become aware of me again…. I am myself again…. I have dreams and I am going to follow through with them. With the help of my family and friends I am going to heal and I am going to survive. I am going to grow and blossom into the person I am suppose to be."

"As for a date, please give me some time… I know the last few years have been rough for me and I understand that ya'll have had a rough time of it too, but I am not ready yet. Please give me some time to breath and be myself. I am not ready for a relationship yet. I still have some healing to do. Please be patient with me."

"In time I will be ready but I know my words will not stop you from trying. I love you all and I know you have my well being in mind."

"I also have some apologizes to make, to people who tried to help and it back fired on them. Know this, I will be fine and I will make it, I just have to do it at my own speed. If I need your help or guidance I will let you know."

"As for Eric Northman"

Huge intake of air and a sigh

Where to start!

I thought a moment before I begun my knowledge of what my feelings were. I knew I needed to hold back on the I LOVE Eric Northman part but I needed to explain the rest and then maybe they would leave me be.

"I know ya'll are worried about me. But you needn't be; I truly am fine. I am happy with my life and I am happy that Eric Northman was there to help save my life. I owe that man a HUGE debt of gratitude. What are my feelings toward him, I am unsure, I have never met the man one on one; so I guess you could say I am infatuated with him. Just look at him, ya'll drool over him too; but I am so out of his league, we live in different worlds, I don't see us ever getting together romantically; it's just not in the cards.

So don't worry about me I do not pine over him (if they only knew I would be locked away).

I may have my drool fest along with you but I know we live in different worlds. Did I think he lusted after me while I danced for him, yes I do, but actions speak louder than words and he did not talk to me at the Extras calling…. I know now he did not get the chance because he was working but I just figured if he knew I was there he would try… It was fun, fun while it lasted. Besides if I was ever to meet him in person I would probably pee my pants.

So like I said, I am infatuated with him and his helping me means a lot to me. To answer a question I was asked a few weeks ago, YES I still have the autographed picture of him and yes I still look at it along with the one he took with us at Starbucks; like ya'll don't do the same thing for Alcide. But I am not insane enough to think he even thinks about me; I am not even a blip on his radar…"

As I finished my little rant I saw Janice snickering and shaking her head. I had no clue why she was giggling but I guess on the way home I could ask her, it was going to be a long drive.

The girls all agreed that I answered them truthfully and would let it rest but they would start introducing me to guys. They all said I needed to get out in the playing field again and have some fun… I was never sexually promiscuous but I guess if I stuck around with these guys they would try to change my mind.

Little did they know that going two years without sex was fine with me and until I found the one I wanted to be with forever I don't think I could have random sex again; Quinn screwed me on that one.

I guess I could give dating a try once I healed a little bit more. Even though I knew my heart belonged forever and always to Eric.

The rest of the week went by fast. I told Amelia and Tara I would see them in Bon Temps, that I was going to go to Merlotte's and see if I could work the summer there again and apologize to Sam. It was long over due for the prom debacle. I did not blame him for what he did anymore, it was a simple misunderstanding and I wanted to clear the air, 2 years was too long.

I said my goodbyes to Claudine and Maria and we all agreed we would keep in touch over the summer. I didn't know if that would happen but I was going to try my hardest to make it happen.

We packed up Janice's car the night before so we could leave a little bit later than planned. We left for Shreveport about 9am Saturday morning and knew we would get to Herveaux house about 2:30pm. As usual we packed snacks and drinks to cut back on stops and we figured we could have a late lunch once we arrived. Mom said she would have something waiting for us. I was excited to see Mom and Dad again, they had become an important part of my life and I didn't know what I would ever do without them.

After we filled up the gas tank we were off. We sang, laughed and talk about silly things that happened throughout the year.

It was fun just like every other time we went home.

About two hours in Janice asked me a personal question that floored me.

"Sookie, I know what you told us the other day was truthful about Eric Northman…

**(Here it comes)**

But I know you by now and I know that you are holding something back… You seem starry eyed when his name is mentioned… You seem more upset about him not finding you at the extra's call then you should be. Please talk to me I won't tell anyone, I know your holding something back. I want to help if I can"

Deep Breath….. Breathe Sookie breathe….

AHHH hell

"Janice, shit…. I do feel something more for him but I don't know what to call it. The little glimpses of him make my heart soar. The feelings give me hope that there is someone out there for me. Do I believe it will be him, I can dream but I am not naive enough to think he even feels the same about me or that we will ever meet one on one. Fate is being fickle with me and him and we are not being knitted together. Do you understand what I am trying to say? "

Janice nodded that she knew, I wasn't sure how but I believed her.

I told Janice, "I did not think he noticed me because of our two short sentences, our smiles, our waves, our blushes and me mouthing hello to him…. How could he want me, he can have any woman alive why would he want a small town simpleton like me? "

Janice looked pissed. She said, "Sookie listen up, a connection is a connection whether you know if it is meant to be or not; only time will tell. Be patient maybe you two will be thrown together when you least expect it. Time tells all. Give your heart a chance if he ever does find you again."

It was really strange but Janice had an evil looking smirk on her face.

What the hell is up with that?

Then I realized she knew something and wasn't telling me. I would get it out o f her but I wouldn't push.

I could wait; it would reveal itself sooner or later… hopefully sooner.

The plan was for me to be at the Herveaux's for a week before I went home for the summer. I was looking forward to the peace, quiet and their **HUGE** pool.

When we got to her house Mom and Dad were out front waiting on us. It was nice of them to include me in as one of the family members. Mom told us lunch was ready and that dad would unpack the car so we could eat.

I was so excited to be there it didn't even bother me that I was being waited on hand and foot. It was really nice to be loved.

As we ate mom talked to us about my visit and if we had any plans. Janice told her we would just be hanging out and relaxing. I told her I was anxious to get home to Gran but I wanted to unwind first. She said she thought that was a good idea. She let us know that she was going into town shortly in case we needed anything. I couldn't think of anything and Janice said she was good.

We decided it was time to go unpack our clothes. I always stayed in Janice's room with her but when I got there my stuff wasn't in there. I went searching for dad to ask him where he put it.

I found him across the hall in one of the spare rooms.

I asked him what was up. He and mom told me that they had decided that I needed my own room so they made this room up for me with Gran's help… As I looked around I saw pictures and stuff from my room at Gran's house and I started to cry…

I turned and looked at them and asked "why?"

Dad said, "Sookie we love you as our own and we wanted you to have something that belonged to you here; we wanted you to always feel welcome in our home, a family member. We spoke with Adele about this several times so that we could do everything right for you, we know we won't replace your parents or your Gran but we want you to know you will always have a place in our home; yes your Gran is okay with this. Just so you know we take family very seriously and we have only ever extended this offer to one other person besides you; he is a friend of our son's and I don't know if you will ever be here at the same time as he is but if you are please show him the same respect that you would show us."

"Welcome to the family honey."

I sat on the edge of the bed and cried…. I was never so shocked or so happy… The H's made me feel wanted by someone other than my Gran and Jason. I didn't know what to say so I sprang from the bed and hugged my pseudo parents.

Mom then excused herself to go over to Janice's room to get her. They wanted to show me one more thing but they wanted us together, it was down stairs… I was curious about what was up but I told my curiosity to stifle itself and wait for what would be revealed to me momentarily….

I was extremely nervous, what else had they done? They had already done so much for me!

Janice was curious too since she was as clueless as I was.

We all walked over to the garage

**Not good**

Dad stopped outside the one garage door and he asked us to stop. I knew this was where I parked my car at the beginning of the school year and after the Holiday break….. Oh shit

This was not a good sign… I wondered what happened.

Dad and Mom were both nervous…. Dad was sweating, oh crap what happened?

"Please tell me what happened to my car, I know this is the garage door my car is behind."

Dad started to talk, "well you see it had a little accident." (I gasped)

"Dad please tell me what happened."

"Well you see Alcide was home visiting with two of his friends from work. On one of the days he and Eric left for an errand Pam happened to still be sleeping so they didn't wake her. When she woke up later, Pam realized she was home by herself and she needed to go to town to buy some feminine products because she was out. She couldn't find any keys but yours hanging up on the hook so she figured it would be alright to take your car since we had told her she could use any vehicle that was available… Well, we had a rock slide up the road that day and your car happened to get crushed by one of the giant boulders that fell down the hillside. Pam suffered a small head injury but it has since healed. However, you car is another story… The insurance agent came by and looked at it and said there was no way to repair it so it had to be totaled. I wanted you to see the car before we towed it away so that you can see what it ended up looking like once it was towed back from the accident. I am so sorry Sookie, Sabrina and I did not want you to be without a car, so we called Adele to get her suggestions and they only thing she advised us on was something sensible. "

"Jackson what did you and Sabrina buy me? I know it is more than I can afford and you have already done so much for me… I can't accept this without the opportunity to pay you back."

"Sookie, sweetie, we know you want to make payment arrangements, but the car is paid for. We took the settlement money and added to it, even Adele added a little. We stayed modest and we think you will like what we bought. It's not the same as what you had but we feel that you will be safer and the car is in excellent shape. "

"Okay let's see it."

Slowly dad opened the door. The first thing I saw was my old car, oh my stars… All I could think of was I was glad Pam only suffered a small injury. I walked around it and gasped, the passenger door was hanging off and it looked like the driver's seat was floating inside… Oh my, what a mess…

"Dad are you sure Pam is okay?"

Oh my gosh, is that blood on the window and dash?

Janice was right behind me and she gasped… She shuttered and said, "Pam was lucky there was no passenger or they would have been gravely hurt by the boulder."

We both asked at the same time if we could be taken to the crash site.

Dad said he would go with us shortly after he got settled with mom and her grocery list. We all laughed, she was always working on a grocery list.

Janice said she was glad her brother wasn't home or the list would be much bigger.

Dad said that Alcide and his friends were here for a month or so, it was like feeding an army, but then again the army was usually drunk so they mainly lived off a liquid diet.

Dad said, now for the reveal of your new car.

Janice came and stood beside me and we held hands. I didn't know what to expect but it was nothing like I saw before me. This car could **NOT **have been a used car; it looked **NEW **to me… WHAT had they done?

There before me was a 4-door Toyota Camry; it was metallic blue with tan interior. As we looked inside we saw my stuff had been transferred from my Tercel …

I noticed it had a CD player in the dash. This was not a used vehicle… It had to be new.

OH MY STARS

I turned to dad and glared at him. "This is not a used vehicle, it's brand new and I cannot accept it."

Dad glared back at me and said, "Fine check the glove compartment if you don't believe it is used."

Hells bells, it was used, it was a previously leased car and apparently Mr. H. got it for a steal at a used car lot in Shreveport.

I turned to him and apologized about not trusting him.

He said it was okay, he would have shown me the car during our spring break while we were here but Janice and I were busy with our visit and with my unexpected visit with Gran everything about the car got put on the back burner.

I thanked him again and told Janice now she didn't have to car pool with me anymore.

She looked devastated.

Mr. H. said, "Cool your jets young lady. Sabrina, Adele and I have spoken about this very thing after you all went back to school in April and we all agreed, **WE** prefer you two to travel together you can take turns driving one of your cars. **We** feel it is safer for you as a team then to go separate. The only negotiation you will have is whose car to take **AND** I will still be paying for the gas. This is non-negotiable."

I huffed at him but nodded, I knew I wouldn't win and I am sure if I kept up my tirade Mr. H. would have Gran on the phone instantaneously.

Of that I was absolutely sure.

Dad drove us to the crash site in my new car. I told him I wanted to feel how it drove while being in the passenger seat; to be honest I was afraid of it. I was so use to my tiny Tercel, I wasn't sure if I could drive a bigger car. It rode comfortably, so Janice and I said we would take my car first when school started back up.

When we arrived at the crash site we were amazed to see these **TWO HUGE** boulders on the side of the road. You could physically see the skid marks from my car and all I could think of was I sure hope Pam is okay.

I started to cry, I couldn't believe someone got hurt in my car. I knew she could have been in any of the cars from the Herveaux's house but it hit me hard that she was hurt in mine.

Dad looked at me and just shook his head as we got out of the car; he gave me a hug and told me it wasn't my fault; Pam was okay, not to worry, it was just a small head wound and she was fine.

We looked at the boulder and you could see yellow paint all over the side of the biggest boulder. I went over and touched it and cried some more.

What if she wasn't okay? Damn, I knew I needed to shore my shields up because I was getting too emotional. It was done and over with; I was told she was fine but I knew if I ever saw Pam I would be apologizing to her in a heart beat for getting hurt while in my car.

Dad asked if we were ready to go back home and if I wanted to drive. I looked at him and then my car and said yes, but it squeaked out like I was a little mouse.

I was so nervous.

We all laughed as I got in the car, did I tell you I am only 5'5" at the most and Mr. H is 6'5" and the seat was set for him not me… I couldn't even touch the gas or brake pedals…. I tried to touch them but to reach I had to lay in the sit and I couldn't see out the front window.

I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants.

Gosh, I needed that laugh.

He explained to me that the car seat was electric so there was a control on the side of the seat to move me forward.

As I adjusted the seat I thanked him again and we were off for home.

The week went by fairly quickly for Janice and I; we lay out by the pool most of time and just relaxed.

It was soothing and comforting and while we sunbathed we sang and talked a bit. We spoke a little bit more about Eric but never when her parents were within ear shot. We decided if there was another EXTRA'S call we would defiantly be going. Maybe we would find Felicia and ask her to go to dinner with us. We had a plan but didn't know if it would happen again, how many out of area location shoots do they go to every year, if any?

The day came for me to leave and I was excited to go home to Gran but I was upset because I would miss the H's dearly. They were my family and I enjoyed their company. I also knew I would miss the opportunity to meet the ghost again…. Alcide was coming home for a few weeks and they were hoping I would be formally introduced to him… It was funny that Mom and Dad had a son and I never really met him, I was told his job keeps him away from home and busy so I never pushed about it. I figured sooner or later I would meet him and then I would know my new brother.

I knew I had to leave, I had things I needed to do for Gran and I needed to make a little extra money for my expenses for next year.

I needed to get home soon so that I could go by Merlotte's and see if I could work there for the summer before other out of school kids beat me to it. I knew that my relationship with Sam was strained after the incident from prom but I was going to give it a shot.

I had a nice tan by the time I left the Herveaux's to head home to Gran's.

I was beaming with a positive attitude, I was told that's what happens after a trial; you are able to relax….. I wore my survivor necklace with pride, it was now my only tangible link to Eric and I was never going to take it off. Yes, I had my pictures, yes I had my memories and YES I had my daily talks but the necklace was special to me, I couldn't explain the feelings it gave me…

I still had a few more episodes of "Blood Moon" to watch before the season was over but the necklace seemed to mean more to me that anyone possibly could imagine

…. It was AWESOME….

I knew then more than ever that I was in love with my savior and soul mate, but I also knew I had to be realistic about it never happening. Like Gran said I had to keep my heart open just in case I met someone else. It took me a little over 40 minutes to get home and when I did Gran and Jason were standing on the stoop waving at me and holding a **WELCOME HOME** banner.

It was beautiful.

I ran to them and thanked them. It was going to be a good summer.


	14. Light Bulb

**Happy New Year- **this chapter is unbeta'd so the mistakes are all mine. This chapter is a little bit shorter than most but it fills in the blanks,(hopefully)...

**disclaimer-** the characters and cannon of this story belongs to Charlaine Harris and i am just putting a twist to her characters.

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**Chapter 12 Light Bulb **

**JHPOV**

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Sookie had just left our home to stay with Gran for the summer and it got me to thinking about a few things.

I knew I needed to talk this over with the missus and my baby girl. It had been gnawing on me for months and I think I finally figured a few things out during and after the trial.

But being a man I knew I could be over thinking it so I needed to broach the subject with my ladies very carefully.

So I needed to think long and hard on what had transpired over the last two years and I needed to get my thoughts together. I also knew that it would be wise to make a list before I spoke with them so I jotted a few things down so I wouldn't forget.

**List**-

Does Sookie realize who Alcide is?

Does Sookie know how we are connected to Felicia and Eric?

Did Sookie realize I mentioned three actors by name during our conversation about her car and she never batted an eye?

Was Sookie who Janice was going to bring home that weekend in October 1 ½ years ago?

Was our Sookie the same Sookie as the one Eric mentioned?

Sookie mentioned a picture of her and the girls while at the meet and greet, does Janice know what picture she is talking about?

Does Adele know about Eric and should we approach her about it. Or should we let nature takes its course.

Finally, do we try to get these two together by pushing encounters into their lives or back off?

It took me a little while to come up with my list but once I got my list together I asked Sabrina and Janice to meet me in the living room, I needed to talk to them about something important.

They both looked at me and smiled and said they would meet up with me in 10 minutes time.

It was actually a little shorter than 10minutes which didn't give me much time to rethink my list nor back out from asking.

Janice asked what was up.

I was a bit nervous and I am sure it showed but I knew that Sabrina and Janice were family and that everything would be okay, it wasn't like I was standing in front of my board of directors at the office. I was curious as to how I was going to start this up but I figured I needed to take the bull by the horns and run with it.

"Well girls I want to talk to you both about Sookie and Eric Northman."

Sabrina smiled, I think she had the same thoughts as I did but when I faced my daughter she was laughing. A full on belly laugh and we had to wait until she stopped so she could tell us what was so funny.

I quirked an eyebrow at her and said "Explain".

She just smiled and chuckled, she still couldn't talk so I told her okay I will start then.

Where to begin? Where to begin?

I knew I had my list to fall back on but I wanted to make sure Sabrina and Janice understood my line of thinking and what I was attempting to accomplish by our family meeting.

Girls I have been thinking long and hard about a little issue I have come across. I really didn't put two and two together until the trial. So bear with me while I ask some questions and hopefully get some answers.

I am just going to throw out some questions to you and I would like for you to respond the best way you can.

They both nodded.

"Janice is Sookie the young lady you were going to bring home to us in October a year and half ago?"

**Yes.**

"Okay, is this John Quinn fella the reason you told Eric that you had a friend being stalked by an Ex and they could commiserate?"

**Yes.**

"Have you ever met this Quinn fella before or you just heard the commotion, like you said at the trial?"

"No daddy, Sookie never showed us a picture of Quinn or talked much about him. I just knew after the attack on Claudine that we were on the lookout for a tall bald man with purple eyes."

"Was the reason Sookie didn't come home with you that weekend because of the Starbucks meet and greet? This was the weekend she kinda sorta met Eric and Alcide?"

**Yes**

"Is there a reason why you never mentioned that Sookie met the boys?"

"I never knew she met them until about a year later when I was in her room and saw the picture on her night stand. It was of all the girls with Eric and Alcide. I never questioned her about it… I never thought that when Eric asked Mom and me about what to do about the Sookie he met that it was my Sookie from school. I knew there could not be too many Sookie's out there because the name was unique but I never realized until much later they could be the same person. Along that line of thinking I never connected the photos until much later either, I just wasn't thinking. Also, Sookie never really talked to me about that kind of stuff until she started coming home with me on school breaks. "

"What about the extras call y'all went to. I know Alcide set it up for all of you to get picked for the Pack meeting without them all knowing. But Sookie had chosen to go to the bar scene, she did that all on her own. Do you know if she was smitten then?"

"Daddy, knowing what I know now because we talked about it on the way home and while we lounged outside, I think she has been more than smitten since the day she met him. She said she likes him a lot but she figures she is way out of his league and there may never be another time for them to meet up again."

"Sabrina, has Sookie talked to you at all about any of this?"

"No Jack she hasn't, but I watched her at the trial and when she spoke about Eric I saw more love in her eyes then I have seen in our married friends eyes. That young girl has it bad and is trying to avoid it. She might realize it but figures it will never happen so avoidance is best. Felicia even mentioned to me she thought that Sookie and Eric hooked up somehow because of the way they both care deeply about the other feelings. Did you know he sent her a gift at the end of the trial?"

What?

"Well he sent a gift to Miss Stackhouse. It was flowers, balloons and a necklace with a survivor emblem on it. You didn't notice it on her neck? She never took it off while she was here. I am to the thinking that it is special to her and since it came from Eric it means that much more."

No

"I don't think Eric knows that Sookie and Miss Stackhouse are the same person. He only ever mentioned them separately as two different people. Oh my lord, he thinks Miss Stackhouse is one of the other girls."

"Well that explains a lot. Did he mention if he has a photo of Sookie? I can remember Eric mentioned a familiar smell in foyer but not a photo….. Oh shit, he knows her smell but can't connect them, how close were they at Starbucks for him to know her smell?"

I was coming up with more and more questions in my head but I figured once we all told what we knew then maybe we could figure this all out.

I wanted to grab my list to add more questions but I figured it wouldn't help much since I may run out of paper before we figured everything out.

So I said, Okay for just a moment I want to get off the topic of Sookie and Eric.

"Janice, has Sookie been introduced to Alcide formally? Does she know what he does for a living?"

'No Daddy, I told her we were private about Alcide and she never pushed it. She got a quick hello from him and goodbye that one weekend they were here at the same time but he was like a ghost all weekend. I know she likes 'Blood Moon" and watches it like us but I don't think she connected Alcide's name to the Alcide of the show. The girls haven't even connected the last name, so I don't mention it at all."

"Well that confirms why Sookie gave me an odd look when I was speaking to Felicia while y'all were shopping for new clothes at the boutique. It was at this time that Felicia asked me if Sookie knew Eric or not, she overheard her talking to him out by the pool the night before. She thought she was talking to him on the phone, but she didn't have a cell phone with her when she saw her a few minutes later. Do you know anything about that?"

**No **

"Okay back to Alcide, do you think we should call him and tell him what we know?"

**No,** both of them said in unison.

"Okay then, she doesn't know Alcide is connected to our family; Sookie doesn't know that Eric is the one we spoke about the other day and giving him his own room like she has. Hell, she didn't even bat an eye when I mentioned Pam and Eric in the same sentence with Alcide when we were talking about her new car. So she wouldn't know that we know Felicia through your brother's work."

No daddy.

"Sabrina, do you think we should talk to Adele about this. She might give us some insight into what to do where Sookie is concerned."

"Jack, absolutely not… We need to let nature takes it course if these two are destined to meet they will. That doesn't mean we stop inviting them both for the holidays, we just wait and see what happens. We can not push. If they are fated they will be knitted together eventually."

"But that doesn't mean we can't try our damndest to get these two love birds together."

The girls both moved their heads up and down to tell me they were in agreement to "Operation Get These Two Together."

However, before we were getting ready to leave for dinner I decided to ask the girl's one last question.

"Do we tell Alcide what we figured out or do we keep it from him, so the fates have to knit harder?"

**No**

"What do you mean NO…. he could be our best ally."

"Hun, if we sway him to help out it may damage what they might have together. Let's just help out the best we can and go from there... If Alcide figures it out on his own then we will confirm it for him, but in the mean time we wait. I am sure if we were to ask Adele she would confirm this to us."

"Daddy, can I ask you a quick question?"

"Sure baby what's up?"

"What really happened to Sookie's car?"

**OH SHIT, BUSTED!**

Well, I started to stammer and Sabrina laughed at me. So I figured in for a penny in for a pound.

"Well you see I really hated that car of hers and I thought it was a death trap… We all agreed on that point. I spoke with your mom and we agreed to get Sookie a new car but we knew she would balk at the idea. But if her car was totaled she couldn't complain nearly as much. The only way to do that was wreck it somehow. So when your brother was here with Pam and Eric, they hatched a plan to wreck it."

"Do you need to hear their plan or can we drop this now."

"I want to hear it"

Well the think tank or "Three Musketeers" were a little drunk but they came up with the idea to drive the car into the boulder on the side of the road and smash the car to bits. Funny part is it was mainly Pam's idea about the boulder since she noticed them on the way in from the airport. Alcide broke the seat before they even left the driveway so all they had to do was smash the car. Well it did not work as well as they planned…. Why you say? ... The car handled very well and would not power slide into the boulder….Alcide tried a couple of times but failed. So Eric took over and drove it to where he annihilated the passenger door. He popped the emergency brake and it took the car sideways into the boulder like they planned. I really don't know how he did it but he did. Plus the funny part of the whole deal was Eric is the one that bleed all over the car when he hit his forehead on the steering wheel and window, it wasn't Pam at all, she never once entered Sookie's car. Pam watched safely from the passenger side of the Ram pickup."

"So what you're telling me is the LOVE of Sookie's life destroyed her car for her, got hurt for her and doesn't even realize it is for someone he cares about… Oh brother, are we in for it if he ever tells her the truth….. "

**AHHH shit,** we will cross that hurdle when we get there.


	15. Lazy Hazy Days

**Hello everyone i am still Beta less on this chapter... Northwoman has been busy with real life so i am on my own.**

**I just wanted to let you all know i enjoy your comments and remarks so keep them coming,**

**A side note my father passed away New Year Day so i only have 2 more chapter banked and ready for viewing.. I am in a much better place now so i am going to try and get back to the chapters i have been working on and hopefully not skip a week of posting. If that happens i will post a authors note so that you know.**

**thanks and enjoy the story Kristie **

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**Chapter 13 Lazy Hazy Days **

**SPOV **

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It was great being home. I missed Gran and even Jason. Yes Amelia and Tara were home as well but I didn't miss them as nearly as much since they were at school with me. The girls and I had decided we would spend as much time as we could together but they knew I needed to get a part time job for the summer so that I had spending money for the year.

Tara let me know that JB was waiting for her when she got home and proposed to her as she got out of Amelia's car.

It was sweet.

He didn't want to lose her to some clown from school and he thought he would do the right thing by her, see Tara never had the best upbringing, her mom was a lush and her dad was just mean. So JB Du Rune was a breath of fresh air. Of course she said yes, she loved him with all her heart but she told him they had to wait to be hitched until after she graduated next year. He agreed and told her anything she wanted was hers and they would move to another parish if they had to so that she could get a job with her degree.

It was very sweet that he was putting Tara's needs before his. This man loved her with all his heart.

Tara had a mind for business but she figured she was not wealthy and would never be able to open her own business so she was getting a teachers degree just like me. She figured her business smarts would help her teach, that's why she choose economics and statistics as her majors. The high schools were always looking for teachers in those fields and she figured she could put her own spin on it. I was proud of her.

I was so happy, my life and my friends lives had finally started to calm down. I caught myself looking for Frannie a few times but realized she could never hurt me so I was going to be okay.

Okay, my first order of business today was to run by Merlotte's and see if Sam would talk to me and to see if I could get a part time job for the summer.

Oh Hell, here we go.

As I walked into Merlotte's memories came swirling back into my head and I was hesitant to stay but I knew I was safe, I knew I could get by this uneasy feeling. I waved hello to everyone that was there, you have to remember Bon Temps is a very small town and Merlotte's was one of the only Bar and Grill's in the parish so you tended to see everyone every couple of days.

I saw Sam behind the bar and asked him if he had a minute to talk. He asked me if it was private or if we could talk there. I asked him if we could go to his office for privacy.

"So what's up Sook?"

"Sam, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted a couple years back."

"What on earth to do you mean?"

"Prom"

"So, what about it?"

"I'm sorry that I lead you on, it was not my intent."

"Sook , that was not your fault. I should have told you I had feelings for ya. It is me who should be apologizing. I felt bad after that night, I assumed you would never speak to me again or hell even work for me on your next shift. I let me feelings and thoughts get the better of me and I took advantage of your good nature. I am truly sorry Sook."

"Sam, I should have never taken advantage of you. I was in a terrible spot at the time and I let you rescue me and to me that was me leading you on. Can you please forgive me?"

"Ah Chér, I forgave you the next day when I realized what a jackass I was being. Are we okay now Sookie? After I heard about the restraining order and then the stalkin', I was so sorry for what I did. I didn't know what kind of hard times you were going through and I made things worse for ya. I am glad the trial went good for ya and that bastard is put away. Are we okay Sook? Please say we are."

I leaned over and gave Sam a hug and a peck on the cheek and told him we were.

Well the summer went by quickly…. Sam had me working about 32hrs a week which I was grateful for, it gave me the opportunity to have the extra spending money for the next school year.

It made the summer go by quickly; I didn't even notice I didn't have a love life. However, that didn't mean that Tara and Amelia wouldn't mention it constantly.

I didn't have time to think about what I didn't have.

I didn't have time to wallow in sorrow and pain.

I didn't have time to think that Eric wasn't in my life the way I wanted him to be.

At the beginning of the summer I still had 4 weeks left of the "Blood Moon" season. I was able to finish up the season of "Blood Moon" on a good note; Eric was predominately in the last two episodes so it gave me more fantasy material to work with…..

Eric was on the tip of mind as well as on the tip of my tongue and my tongue was doing naughty things to him.

He was never far away from my thoughts but I was being realistic that the want and desire I was feeling was all one sided but I didn't care.

I still spoke to Eric every night, it gave me a purpose and it helped me de-stress the day.

My only wish was when I did find the man that I would be with for the rest of my life that I would be able to do the same thing with him.

I spoke with the H's a few times over the summer. They missed me as much as I missed them. It was odd to have an extended family after all this time; it felt good to know they were there for me. Gran said she had no problem with it and thought it was a sweet gesture for them to be there for me and love me as much as she did… It was something I was missing for so long… Granted Copley was a father figure for me and he was there when I needed him but he never loved me or treated me the way Jackson and Sabrina did…. I was grateful for them every day.

It was coming to the beginning of August and we had decided it would be wise for me to go the Herveaux's house to de-stress before school started; it was going to be my junior year but a trying year at school. I convinced Gran to come up with me for a week (maybe more once she was there) so that she could spend time with us as a family and meet my allusive ghost brother, Alcide. I was told he would be there for the duration of my visit, I was excited to finally meet him.

I was so excited about my 3 week vacation at the H's; I was over the moon about being able to spend time with my family.

On my last night at Gran's home I went outside to talk to the moon like I did every night.

It was a full moon and I loved it when it was full… It was so clear and bright…..

I felt like it was there for me to talk to and if it could it would talk back to me with Eric's voice.

I missed him but I knew that I may never get that chance to be with him again.

How were we supposed to meet up if we lived on different coasts and ran in different worlds?

Oh well I could still hope one day we would meet and I knew I could still talk to him when I needed to…. I told Eric that night that he had my heart and I would stay as true to him as I possibly could but if a situation arises where I met someone I would give it a try... I could save myself but if we never meet again I would always have my memories….

Gran and I were off for our visit to Herveaux house. I was so happy that she could spend some time with me and the H's. We arrived about 50 minutes later and we were greeted by the whole family, even Alcide.

He was a gorgeous man, but he wasn't my Eric.

When we got out of my car we were hugged by all.

Gran looked up at Alcide and said, "Oh my stars aren't you a fine sight to see, big and broad just like your Papa."

I just shook my head and blushed and tried to excuse my Gran's words.

Alcide just told me to hush and picked Gran up bridal style to give her a big hug and welcome her to the family.

Jackson told him to put her down, so he didn't break her.

When he did we all laughed.

Gran had the biggest smile on her face and she looked like she was swooning. Alcide just smiled at her, he had a great smile.

Damn it, why did he seem so familiar?

Dad led us into the house so that we could get settled.

Mom led Gran to a spare room that they had converted just for her so she could come and stay whenever she wanted to. Jackson offered to pick her up anytime she wanted and she could spend as much time in Shreveport as she wanted to, all she had to do was call.

Janice had told me once that all of her grandparents were dead so her Mom and Dad thought Gran fit the bill as a pseudo parent for them.

Plus they enjoyed her company.

Gran called him sweet and they would discuss it later when the children were not around.

Oh hell, I am glad I would not be there for that conversation…. Gran can be more pigheaded then me.

Well the day went by a little to fast for me…. I just wanted to relax but with Alcide and Janice at each other there was no relaxing.

Alcide promised us that he would behave but he wanted me to see what I was in for being his little sister and all.

Oh brother and I thought Jason was bad.

The first week went by fast and we had fun. It was mainly me and Janice out by the pool but there were times when Alcide would be out there with us but he was on the phone a lot.

When he wanted privacy he would walk away to the other side of the deck and find a shady spot by the pool house. I heard his conversation a couple of times, some were work related others times it was talking to one of his friends, I thought I heard the names Pam, Eric and Angela but I wasn't sure.

I did not want to eavesdrop so I tried to ignore him.

Gran and Mom were getting along well so she decided to stay the two extra weeks until Janice and I left for school. Jackson offered to take Gran home after we left; she said she would only accept his offer if he started to call her Gran, Adele was too formal for family members.

Another week went by and I was having a great time.

But I walked into a conversation that i don't think I should have overheard.

It was Alcide talking to his parents about his girlfriend Angela, they were doing a long distance thing and I think they were having issues. She was jealous that I was staying here at the same time Alcide was home.

I didn't get it.

There was nothing between us; I was his sister for gods sake. But I kept out of it as best as I could; I went to the fridge and got a sweet tea for Janice and I and walked out of the kitchen.

I could feel someone staring at me, so I looked real quick to see if my bathing suit had moved but it was all where it belonged.

I heard Dad growl at Alcide and tell him not yours, be respectful… I turned and blushed a deep red and told Dad thank you. I asked Mom if I should cover up and she told me to never mind about that; Alcide just missed his girlfriend. I told Alcide just let me know if there was anything I could do to help him out with Angela. I then went outside to tell Janice what had happened.

Gran was sitting out there under a big umbrella and she told both of us that jealousy is a fickle bitch (Gran never swore unless there was a good reason). She was told that Angela and Alcide were together for almost a year and then she moved back to Canada and he stayed in California.

It was a test of his patience on how much longer he could be without her.

He was afraid that she was seeing someone else; Janice agreed with Gran but did not divulge any more information.

I told them both that she was being silly about me and they both just snickered.

Janice said, "Sookie you are beautiful, you fill out that bikini and make me jealous, so if Alcide made the same comment to Anj, then of course she was jealous."

Gran agreed and said, "Just because you treat each other like brother and sister there is NO blood relationship there and one day it could turn to something romantic."

I knew for me that Alcide had been moved into the friend zone but i was afraid he thought differently.

Or was he just using me to bait his MIA girlfriend with?

**MEN**

Our third week there I heard Alcide on the phone again with his girlfriend. He was trying to defend me to Angela and said there was nothing between us

Janice just shook her head and said OH brother not again.

I had enough; I marched over to Alcide and ripped the phone out of his hand. He looked at me and growled like Jackson does and I just flicked my wrist at him and told him to shoo.

By this time I saw Janice running towards the kitchen yelling for everyone to get their asses outside. I saw all three parents emerge and they asked what was wrong.

But I was determined I was going to continue this conversation with Angela even if it was going to kill me.

I said hello to Angela.

She asked me who the hell was this?

My name is Sookie Stackhouse and I am a friend of the Herveaux's more importantly, I am their daughter in every way but name.

In my peripheral I saw Alcide quirk his eyebrow, I just shooed him away again. Not caring what he had to say.

She asked why I had Alcide phone.

I told her I ripped the phone out of his hand so that I could talk to her. I wanted her to know that Alcide is my brother and there is NOTHING romantic between us and there never will be.

She asked me how certain I could be of this; he was a gorgeous sweet man?

"Angela, first off my heart belongs to another. Second, Alcide belongs to my Gran; she is the one who is smitten with him."

"Your Gran, she yelled"

"Yes, my Gran, ever since the first day she meet him she was smitten but there is no need to worry about her she is old enough to be Jackson and Sabrina's parent so it is a one sided smitten. Alcide respects her as a grandparent and respects me as his sister."

"Why would I be an issue for you?"

She said, "He told me about the polka dot bikini."

He did what? It was my turn to growl at him….

Jackson and Sabrina laughed; Gran just hugged Alcide and held Janice's hand.

I let her know that my polka dot bikini was my only vice for sunbathing but if it made her feel better I would buy a one piece to wear while he was home.

She asked me if I would really do that for her.

I told her of course I can and I wanted to know what else I could do for her to make her feel more at ease about me being home at the same time that Alcide was.

Angela said she couldn't think of anything at the moment but she hesitated and then asked me one more question.

"Sookie, can you tell me what your beau's name is and how long have you been together?"

I really didn't hesitate. His name is Eric Nort….

OHHHHH SHITTTTTTTT. I slipped big time

I looked over at my family and they were all smiling. What the hell….

The only ones that knew about Eric was Gran and Janice. Why were Alcide, Jackson and Sabrina smirking as well?

Oh hell…. Do I even want to know?

"UMM, we have been known each other for about 2 years. Why do you ask?"

She said she really didn't know why she asked for a length of time. She was just curious.

I asked her my own question before I handed the phone back to Alcide.

"How long have you been with Alcide not to trust him?"

She didn't hesitate to say about 1 1/2yrs but it was complicated she lived in Canada and he lived in California and the distance was hurting them.

"You're a Canadian huh, I have only met one other person from Canada and she was a sweet girl."

"I told her the distance shouldn't matter as long as she loved and trusted him. That is how I dealt with my relationship with Eric"

I told her I needed to give the phone back to Alcide so I could go help Gran and Mom start dinner. I then let her know that I hoped she works everything out with Alcide and I was hoping to meet her soon.

I handed the phone back to Alcide and went towards the kitchen.

Why did everyone look so dumb founded…

…..Oh well … who knows….. I was happy I said Eric's name out loud and it was a beautiful day.

The next couple o f days went by quickly; even though it was busy Janice and I got a chance to go to the movies, it was a nice evening. We decided to see a movie and get some ice cream after it so we didn't get home until about 10pm…. But it was a great night and we had a blast.

The next day I heard Alcide on the phone again but this time it was a three way call with Pam and Eric. They were making plans to show up the same day we were leaving.

Alcide told them to change there plans and get here the day before so that they could meet his new sister.

He laughed and said Bro; you really need to get here tomorrow. I didn't know why Alcide needed me to meet his friend but I knew I would be respectful when I did. Plus if Pam came early I could tell her I was sorry about her getting hurt in my car. I will never live that down and if I could do something to pay her back I would….. But we needed to be at the same place first.

Well two days later we were packing my car up to leave for LSU. It's when Gran let me know she decided to stay on a few extra days to help Mom out with a couple of things they had been planning for the holidays.

Yes the holidays were months away but these two were as thick as thieves.

Who knew what they were up to?

I had to keep pulling Janice to my car so that we could leave and get to LSU at a good time to secure a good parking spot. Once you got your spot it was yours for the year, we wanted to get one close.

We said our goodbyes and gave everyone a hug and we were off.

As we approached the end of the driveway a cab was turning onto the driveway as we were leaving; I took a quick look into the cab and I saw two people, I figured it must be Pam and Eric since they were due to arrive today.

I could see they were both blondes and the person seated behind the driver was a female; she was waving to us like she wanted us to stop. I waved back but I kept going, we needed to get to school. Janice kept nagging me to turn around and I told her to stop pestering me while I was driving.

Janice said we had to go back; Dad didn't give us the money for gas. I told her to calm down, yes he did, he slipped it into my purse this morning plus he gassed up my car already; we were good to go.

You could see her deflate in her seat after that…

What the hell was her problem?

Who the hell was in that cab?

Why was it so important for me to meet them?

Oh well I will meet them another day.


	16. Poor Timing

**Chapter 14 Poor Timing**

**JHPOV**

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While they were standing on the patio waiting for Sookie to give Alcide his phone back; Jackson looked over at Alcide and Adele and asked them what they knew about Sookie and Eric's relationship.

Of course Adele giggled. Alcide was trying to connect the dots and quirked and eyebrow.

Sabrina laughed and said I knew it, Adele you know something.

Alcide still looked a bit lost, but i do think he was trying to knit things together in his mind.

Jackson told them that as soon as time permits the four of them were going to have a sit down about the new matter that arouse tonight when Sookie said that Eric North... was her beau.

Alcide was still a little confused but he knew once they had the talk he might find out what the hell his family was talking about.

It was the Thursday evening before the girls left for school when Jackson convinced Janice to take Sookie to town to see a movie. He used the theory that it was going to be a tough year for both of them; they probably would not be able to get out much less go to a movie once they were back as LSU. He knew the most the girls ever did was go to the TV lounge and watch their show together.

The ploy worked so now it was time for Sabrina, Adele, Alcide and him to have there little meeting.

After the girls left the four of them sat in the kitchen to talk. Adele fixed them some snacks because she figured they would be there a while, so Sabrina set out to get drinks for everyone.

Jack told the girls to stop fussing and sit down; we only have a couple of hours before they get home.

Jackson was just as nervous as the first time but at least he knew more than the first time so he was good to go. He was going to take that bull by the horns again. Okay everyone, I know what Sabrina, Janice and I know of the situation we are going to discuss but I do not know what Adele knows or even if Alcide realizes he may know more about this situation than he thinks or its quit possible he doesn't realize he has important information on the tip of his tongue.

Son, I can see you trying to piece some things together but I hope once we are done talking you and Adele will be on board with "Operation Get These Two Together."

Now the three of us caught on back at the trial some things about Sookie and how she felt about Eric Northman.

Alcide quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes son, our Sookie is Eric's Sookie from the meet and greet and also the one and only Miss Stackhouse."

Alcide's response was, "Fuck"….. And with that Adele backhanded his head and told him to watch his language. He said, "Sorry Gran" and just sat there with his mouth hanging open.

"Okay son before you ask any questions let me get out what we know and Adele you can fill in the blanks and then Alcide it will be your turn to tell us what you may know. It may take us a while to get through everything so if we don't finish tonight we will need to finish up after the girls leave for school."

Is everyone okay with that?

Alcide shook his head NO.

Alcide what's up, why not?

"Ummm, Eric and Pam arrive at 11am on Sunday to spend a couple of weeks here before we start shooting "Blood Moon" again."

Well hell that is an unforeseen glitch, but we will work around it.

Okay I will try to do this quickly so we can get through it all.

Agreed?

They all shook their heads, Yes.

Janice asked Sookie to come home the weekend of the meet and greet but she was unable to since she was already had plans to go to the meet and greet with her friends. Eric saw her and they minimally talked and eyed each other for a couple of hours. There was a group picture taken and an exchange of thank yous. A picture was developed and one was shared with Eric through Bobby Burnham and Felicia persistence. Eric gave Sookie an autographed picture of himself which she later framed along with the group shot. Eric was only given first names on the picture he acquired and then he was given the last name of the stalking victim by the detective.

A year goes by and the girls attend the Shreveport Extra's call. Alcide had set up for all the girls to get picked for the pack meeting, there was suppose to be six but Sookie opted for the club sequence and got it on her own.. Just and FYI Alcide, Sookie went to dance for Eric. She was the reason Eric went off on the crew later that night. Eric noticed her on the dance floor and later on chewed out the staff because they spotlighted the wrong dancer. He never got to talk to her but she was able to tell him hello and goodbye. Apparently him and Dawn had just split up and the crew thought he was lusting after her, not one of the other dancers. We spoke with Felecia about this at the trial and she confirmed what we knew.

Okay, Sookie doesn't speak to the girls much about her feelings for a man she hardly knows and keeps it to herself for a year and a half. Up until the trial these two have been missing each other at events and here at the house.

The next chance encounter was the girls going back to school after spring break. It was during this time that Eric noticed Sookie's smell and commented on it being familiar but not knowing why. Which leads us into Sookie's car mishap, Adele, before you get mad let me explain; it was done because we love her. Alcide, Pam and Eric came up with a plan to get rid of the little yellow car. You know I hated it and I thought it was unsafe to drive. But i guess Alcide proved me wrong on that one. It was Pam's idea to say she took the car for a drive and the boulders fell on her. In actuality it was Alcide and Eric that were driving the car. When Alcide attempted to slide into the boulders, nothing happened, the car performed well. It was Eric; yes Eric who got it to slide into the boulders on the side of the road and it was Eric's blood on the dash and window. That poor boy bled for the woman he wants to know and didn't even know it.

The trial comes up next. Sookie is hoping to see Eric during the deposition and trial, but he is unable to attend. It burst her bubble a bit but she keeps it to herself. We did not put two and two together until after the trial was under way. We started realizing something was up the first night; Sookie approached Felicia and invited her to dinner and she stayed with us later on while the girls shopped. Sookie noticed I was speaking to Felicia and seemed a bit curious as to why. Sookie does not know that Sabrina and I are your parents. She still hasn't connected your name to the Alcide's name on the show. I don't think she pays much attention because the only TV show she watches in "Blood Moon" and we believe she only watches it so she can see Eric.

It was the next night that Felicia mentioned that she heard Sookie talking to Eric, but she didn't have a cell phone on her. So Felicia asked me if Eric and Sookie knew one another. I told her no, it wasn't possible.

During Sookie's testimony the next day we learned a lot more about everything, the stalking, the meet and greet, the extra's call and then when asked about her relationship with Eric and if they were sleeping together, her answer was **she WISHED**. We all laughed about it then but now it all makes sense. That girl is smitten…..

Janice said that she has those two pictures with her all the time. They are always up on her dresser and she swears she hears her telling the picture goodnight. She also said that Sookie believes she isn't good enough for Eric and that is the reason why they keep missing each other. Sookie knows they live in separate worlds and their two worlds will never collide so that they can meet. We know from the last night of the trial that Sookie wants to at least thank Eric for his part in putting John Quinn away but she figures that will never happen either.

So it is our opinion, Sabrina, Janice's and I that Sookie is in Love with Eric Northman. But she will let that love fall aside if she was to meet someone else. Your mom feels that when you see Sookie talk about Eric, she says so with her eyes and there is more love there then in most married couples. We are not sure how to get these two together but we are not going to force it, our mantra is" let nature takes it course but we are going to make sure they are both invited to everything."

So Adele, I see you are smiling and nodding. "What do you know and how can you help us?"

"First off, call me Gran; only non-family members call me Adele or Mrs. Stackhouse.

Alcide honey, just so you know I am not smitten with you, but I would be if I was about 40 years younger. You are a nice looking man and any woman would be honored to have you including my Sookie if she had seen you before her Eric. You were at the same event but it was Eric that caught her eye. Sorry hun."

"It's okay Adele, I love Angela and want her in my life but I have to figure out a way to prove it to her and then maybe she will stick it out. My life is hell but if we stick together we can make it through anything."

Gran just smiled, "Cheese and biscuits, where do I start? Okay, Sookie has never dated much, Quinn was her first everything. She thought she had found the one and then the harassment and stalking started; it all went to hell in a hand basket. She saw her Eric at that event thing the girls drug her to and she enjoyed herself. She also found a man she was interested in, he made her blush, smile and smirk all at the same time, it made her think about her feelings and what they were.. She wasn't use to feeling that way, she NEVER felt that way with Quinn. I think over the course of the next year she fell harder for him than she thought she should. She kept it to herself and did not say a word to me about it until the summer before the trial. We just touched on the subject of love and soul mates. We talked about the pictures and we talked about the moon. Sookie is a creature of habit and when she needs comfort she turns to the moon to talk to and I think that is what Felicia heard her doing the night of the trial. You see she talks to Eric every day and night, she wishes him well and she tells him about her day. It is a release for her, but in actuality she is talking to her soul mate from her heart and it is the only way she can since they do not know how to get in touch with one another.

See Sookie knows who Eric is, but she has no clue that Eric has not combined the names that he has or I believe he would have broke every speed record to get to her, of that i am sure. I haven't talked to Eric so I don't know how he feels from his heart but I think from what Sookie has told me the feelings seem to be mutual between them. This was confirmed to me when Felicia told us about the mishap after the extra's filming and him blowing up at the crew. Now as to what else I know. It seems to me that we can try to interfere or we can let things happen in due course. God willing these two will get together but it might take some knitting by us to make it happen. I know my little girl is in fact IN LOVE with this man but she is being a realist about their lives and their worlds never meeting again. Will she ever let anyone else in her heart, I don't think she will, she may date but I don't think she will ever let it go any further. She is a stubborn hard headed girl and once she sets her mind it is hard to change, but love is forever for her and I think she has found that in Eric. Plus that necklace Eric sent her means the world to her; I don't think she will ever take it off."

I looked over at Sabrina and she was crying. I asked her what the matter was.

"Jack, I feel so bad. She has missed so many opportunities to meet him. She loves him and I know from my talks with him, it is mutual. How are we going to do this without either one of them catching on?"

Before we can figure that out, Alcide, we need to hear from you on what you know.

"Well, shit Dad I don't know nearly as much as you do or we could have resolved this before the fucking trial, sorry Gran but I had to say it. Let's see, I know that the day of the M&G Eric was excited about meeting her and was hoping to get her name but Bobby F'd up once again. So we talked on the way here about how he has never felt this way before about anyone.

I know he spoke with Mom and Janice but got no where about it except that he was smitten.

He spoke with his Mom about it too; she told him that Sookie was his soul mate because when she talks to him he feels it.

If that makes sense? Gran and Sabrina were nodding YES…

I know that when the extras call was done in Shreveport and he saw Sookie he was a goner, the lust that was rolling off of him was noticeable even on the monitors, funny Angela mentioned it to me but I never paid attention to who he was looking at until later when he showed me. Eric even had me try and track her down but she disappeared like a ghost, actually all of the extras did.

To be honest I never connected the hot little blonde I was talking to him about at our house as his curvy beautiful blonde from the M&G. So I am as much at fault as you all for not paying closer attention…

I know he said when he was dating Dawn he thought of Sookie often, he always does and it irked Dawn to no end that he has his picture of the M&G framed and proudly on display, he had never done that with any others. He is just as smitten. Hell last Thanksgiving we went to Baton Rouge to go look for her at LSU, we didn't realize she was 40 minutes away from the house.

This whole situation reeks of miss opportunities. Real Life sucks sometimes.

Let see, at the end of spring break he smelt her familiar smell in the foyer but couldn't place it and then he saw Gran's photo but never connected them…. Oh we can't forget the trial; he was in bad shape in Iceland… He told me he was nervous and sick to his stomach…. And the final day he said he felt like he was trembling, he figured it was Sookie listening to her friend's testimony, now I know it was Sookie and I am pretty sure from what I heard from all of you it was a ROUGH day in court….. But the icing on the cake is he sent Miss Stackhouse a necklace with **Survivor **on it, not knowing it was his Sookie. We can't forget he WRECKED her car.

So now what do we do? Pam and Eric will be here in three days and she leaves again for LSU."

"Well son, this is where we have to think as a team and see what we can come up with."

You say they are due here is three days.

Is there anyway to get them her earlier?

You need to call them soon to get their plane flights changed.

As I sat there an contemplated about out most recent evidence, I just shook my head , hell what were we going to do?

Well it looks like we got everything covered and everyone is on the same page.

Some of us knowing a little bit more than others, but I think this went well…. I don't think Janice needs to be updated, so we should be good to go.

Is there anything else?

Gran said, "Alcide we can only keep inviting them to all the holidays at your home. Jackson and Sabrina is it okay if I would like to start spending the holidays with your family, I can only attend on one condition, I will have to include Jason because he won't understand why he is being left out?"

"Gran bring him, the more the merrier. Plus he can drive you up for the day or longer we have the room."

Okay so we have two solid plans.

What else?

"Ohh what about Pam, do we tell her or keep it from her?"

But then again she could be a great ally on this one so it might be best to bring her into the circle.

Alcide let us know that Eric listens to her more than anyone else so it would probably be best to let her in on the team effort…

Sabrina asked Gran "if she could stay on after the girls went back to school so that they could plan some more; plus they could always talk to Pam and Eric. They could get Pam's help because it would be a great advantage and to see what Eric has to say about Sookie and Miss Stackhouse."

I looked over at the clock and realized it was 9:30pm and the girls should have been home already.

Well family we got a lot done but the girls should be getting home anytime now and I don't want them to catch us talking about this.

Alcide looked at his dad and called him a chicken shit.

They were only two little bitty girls how much damage could they do with a punch or two…..

Gran reminded Alcide that Sookie was raised with Jason and those two scraped all the time, it's amazing they never got hurt worse than they did. She may be little but she is one hell of a fighter…

So we had the beginnings of a plan; we were all on the same page.

Now it was just a watch, wait and see operation.

The girls were better suited for this than me and Alcide but we would help when we could.

"Oh Alcide can you make sure you call Eric and Pam and get their flights changed maybe we can end this little mission sooner than later."

"On it, I will call them tomorrow."

Now let's see how long this takes us to pull them together. Hopefully Real Life stays out of the way for once.

But I doubt it; we didn't have that kind of LUCK.

These two were going to be the death of us. But we had a plan and we were a family and families stick together…..


	17. Summer Vacation

**Authors Note: story still un-Beta'd so the mistakes are all mine... Thanks for reading.**

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**Chapter 15 Summer Vacation**

**JHPOV**

The girls had just left and the four of us stood there dazed and confused as to what to do now. We tried everything to get the girls to stay longer.

Even Janice was trying but Sookie wasn't having any of it. She was anxious to get to school and get settled in.

I just shook my head and said another missed opportunity, SHIT.

I heard an AMEN come from Gran and Alcide chuckled.

This was going to be tougher than we thought.

Stubborn girl.

Not more than two minutes later a cab pulled up to us; we all started chuckling but Alcide was bent over, he had a full belly laugh going on.

I was just shaking my head as Eric and Pam left the cab and walked over to us.

"What's so funny?"

This just made Alcide laugh even harder; then Sabrina started in and Gran… It wasn't a pretty site.

But Eric and Pam were patient and waited for us laughing hyenas to stop.

I greeted our visitors and went over to go get their luggage from the cab driver who was totally ignored by them.

I ended up paying their cab fee, which was fine and all but I wanted to make sure nothing was said prematurely to Eric; we were still working on how to break it to him slowly.

As I approached the group, I heard Alcide telling Pam and Eric that they just missed Janice and her friend from school, SOOKIE Sta…... he started to say Sookie's last name but Eric excused himself and stepped away because of a phone call and never caught on.

It was then that Gran let Pam know that her name was Adele Stackhouse.

**DING. DING. DING**

The lights went off in her eyes… Pam, blurted out, **NO FUCKING** **WAY**…..

We all laughed and Gran told "Pam that was her one and only cuss word or she would get popped like Alcide does."

We all laughed and Alcide just rubbed the back of his head.

It was pretty funny to watch.

Eric was still on his phone call when Pam told us that Eric's new friend was being a pain in the ass.

Alcide said, "What NEW friend?"

"Cleo Babbitt, bitch on wheels. They were just casual dating, going to ball games and such but Cleo had other thoughts; she was constantly harping at Eric that he was never around for her. They only started seeing each other a couple of months ago, no commitment on his end but she has other ideas. He said the situation reminds him of Debbie Pelt all over again. He needed to get away, so he chose to come here so that she couldn't follow. He thought about calling an end to it but she threatened suicide so he backed off. Now he's stuck. That's why we couldn't come yesterday; he was in the middle of her drama."

It was like rapid fire out of their mouths, we only had a minute or two before Eric would come back over to us.

Gran spoke first, "Pam, call me Gran please, since Eric did not catch on before we will keep my real name a secret, YES?"

Pam nodded YES.

Sabrina spoke next, "We have all figured out that our Sookie is his Sookie and we will need your help. But we will talk about it while Alcide keeps him otherwise occupied."

Another nod.

Alcide spoke next, "Pam we need your help with this... Eric has been pining over Sookie for two years now and I just found out that Miss Stackhouse and Janice's Sookie are the same person and that big goon over there **WRECKED HIS SOOKIE'S** car. But like Mom said she and Gran will fill you in more during your stay."

My turn, "Pam, Welcome to our happy family…. We are a crazy lot who wants to see those two kids get together and if we work as a Team it will happen, but it may take us some time since they are both stubborn. Our mantra is, let nature takes its course but we will invite them to everything."

Pam just chuckled and nodded with a YES.

"Gran can you figure out a way to get Eric off the phone… Could you manage a _Sookie_?"

**ON IT!**

Pam said, "What the hell is a SOOKIE?"

We told Pam just to watch and learn.

We all figured Sookie got her moxie from Gran and we were not surprised to learn we were right.

We all watched as Gran sauntered over to Eric and smiled; she put one finger in the air like she wanted a minute of his time and then grabbed his phone.

She just smiled at him.

He nodded to her and then looked at us a little shocked but didn't leave her side.

Gran took the phone and said, "Hello."

"Who the hell is this?"

"My name is Adele and I am Alcide's Gran, don't be disrespectful young lady, I am your elder. Now what is so important that Eric is unable to relax and be comfortable with his family? He is our family, on his vacation and **WE** would appreciate it if you could please give him a little bit of slack for the time he is here with us. I am up in my age and I would like to spend as much time with him as possible. So now you can talk, what do you have to say?"

"Well you have the nerve to take the phone away from my boyfriend. You need to give it back to him **RIGHT** now."

"Young lady apparently you were **NOT** listening to a word I said. So please listen and listen good! I will have Eric's phone on my person for the duration of his stay. If I feel he needs his phone I will give it to him. He will be calling his momma tonight so that she knows to call the Herveaux's home phone if she needs him as he will not have his phone any other time. He will also be calling his agent with the same message, so sweetheart; you just dug yourself in a **BIG Ol' hole** if you think for one dang minute he will get his phone back to talk to you. Besides I thought y'all were a casual relationship nothing exclusive. I guess he can do as he pleases and **NOT** check in with the likes of you. I will give his phone back to him in time for him to leave, so please leave us alone so that we can have a quiet and pleasant visit."

"Old lady if that is what you really are and not Pam disguising her voice. I do not have to listen to you; you are nothing to **MY Eric**. He will be checking in with me as we are committed to each other, we have been for over two months now."

"Listen Cleo, is IT, you don't know a darn thing. Eric is more mine than yours and I will not be disrespected by the likes of you. If **My Eric** is smart he will ignore you after his visit and cleanse himself of anything Cleo Babbitt. Goodbye Miss Babbitt and good day."

Gran then hung up the phone, Pam and Alcide started clapping…. Sabrina was smiling and Gran just blushed and took a deep bow and handed Eric his phone back….

Eric looked like he was in shock but he was smiling from ear to ear.

He handed the phone back to Gran and asked her to please keep it so he wasn't tempted to answer it.

Eric just shook his head and asked for a proper introduction.

"Hello my name is Adele and I am Sookie's grandmother. You just missed her and Janice as they just left for LSU a few moments before you arrived. But please call me Gran."

"Eric, Eric Northman and I am forever in your debt."

"Now hush child, it was nothing your Gran wouldn't do for you. No debts are owed here just relax and enjoy and if you ever need to talk to someone I am here for ya."

"Jackson, can we move inside to talk please, I am getting a bit tired standing up for so long?"

Gran then winked at me and Alcide and we instantly understood she was up to something.

Come on everyone lets go inside and get you all settled in your rooms so we can talk over lunch.

Alcide took Eric to his room; Gran and Sabrina took Pam to hers.

Sabrina let Pam know she was on the third floor by herself but if she wanted to stay on the same floor she was sure Sookie or Janice wouldn't mind her staying in their room. Gran even offered up her room but Pam said no, she was fine since she was a light sleeper and having a floor to herself would work just fine. Wink...Wink

I suspected she was setting up a quiet area to talk if Eric was in the house and it was a good plan.

Now to figure out when there would be a good time to let Pam in on everything?

Well the next few days progressed by slowly and we heard from the girls a couple of times, they missed us but knew they would get back into the swing of things once their classes started in a few weeks.

Janice called once by herself because she wanted to know how Eric took the news… I told her we did not tell him but Pam figured it out and she would help us the best she could…. Janice was very excited at the new outcome and team mate.

Gran cornered Eric a couple of times in under a week and they had some nice talks about life and such out under her umbrella on the patio. Gran never brought up Sookie; she said she wanted to gauge how he felt first before she got too nosey.

Pam let her know to take it easy with Eric because he would back off and show no emotion if he thought you were prying too much…

Alcide told us Eric did not talk much about Sookie except for the fact that he hadn't felt her lately; he contributed to not being able to feel her because of the Cleo's drama and not focusing on her every night.

We started into the second week and everyone was having a good time. Eric was enjoying his time without his cell phone pestering him… When he told his Mom and agent what was up they agreed if they needed him they would call the house phone because having another nut case after Eric was not good.

The rest of the week was uneventful.

We spoke with Pam a couple of times about Sookie and Eric; we filled her in on everything we all knew… I was usually the mouth piece so I had to steal away to talk to her when I could…. Gran teased me about having a girlfriend and wife on the same property…. Sabrina laughed and then Pam filled Gran in on the fact that she was a lesbian.

Gran told her, "to each their own child", but if she was ever looking for a good simpleton boyfriend she could hook her up with her grandson Jason…

We all laughed, but Pam said she would leave that introduction open for another time; the holidays would be here soon enough…. You never know he may be the one to change her wicked ways.

By the time week 3 rolled around Gran told us she could only stay a few more days she needed to get back to her home and her cat Tina. She would call Sabrina to finalize all the holiday plans they had been putting together and October would be here soon enough. I was told Gran was coming to visit for Halloween so that they could finalize Thanksgiving and start decorating…...

Well Saturday arrived and Gran said she needed to be off and wanted to know if it was okay for Eric to borrow a car so he could drive her home. He offered to take Gran home so he could have some alone time on the way back to think.

We told him to take whatever car he wanted as long as Gran was comfortable for the drive.

After they left, the rest of us met up in the kitchen to discuss our plans. Sabrina said Gran was going to ask Eric into her home and see if he noticed the pictures of Sookie and break it to him that way.

But we didn't know if that plan would backfire or not.

We all figured we would have to make a point for everyone to come home for the holidays and maybe these two would meet up that way but if Eric never came home or ended up with a new girlfriend we would just have to be persistent.

If that didn't work, our new mantra would be, "try and try again" until we figured out a good way to do it.

We were just hoping that neither of these kids was in a serious relationship until they met. If that happened then all bets were off on what to do next.

Damn he was as stubborn as her.

We had plenty of time to plant seeds into their minds and help them move forward. There were now 6 people on the same page about our operation of getting these two together and we were all sure it would happen soon.

Or would we be wrong?


	18. Good Riddance

**Authors Note: Chapters are still un-Beta'd, finding my own mistakes is fun... But i am sure i have missed a lot ... enjoy Kristie **

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**To the few guest reviews who i cannot answer, thank you for your feeback and warm wishes... My story is about FATE and REAL LIFE and how it gets in the way so there is NO instant gratification here... it will take a while for all sides to come together but as they do enjoy the ride...**

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**This is my last banked chapter that is completely written... i have three in the works so i am hoping next week y'all will get a new chapter... but be patient with me just in case... RL has been really busy these last few weeks and i haven't been able to get much writing done...**

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**Chapter 16 Good Riddance **

**EPOV**

We arrived at the Herveaux's house as planned at 11am on Sunday; I was unable to change my flight so I kept the original one I had even with Cleo bitching about me leaving the whole fucking time. I was at my last straw with her but I did not know how to end our relationship without her doing something stupid.

As we were arriving we passed a car in the driveway.

I didn't look up from my phone but the way Pam was jumping around in her seat it was like I should have been paying better attention… The only thing I caught was the back of a blonde's head in the driver seat.

Oh well I will meet the friend another day.

When we arrived there was an older woman standing in the driveway with Alcide's parents, I wonder who she was, she looked familiar like I have seen her before but couldn't place her.

HMMMM, I guess I will have to wait for the introductions.

As we walked up everyone was laughing and Alcide was doubled over.

I asked, **"What's so funny**?"

But Alcide just laughed harder, I was waiting patiently, it had to be hysterical if Alcide was laughing so hard that he was bent over, I could use a good laughed about then.

But as Alcide started to introduce me to the elder woman my phone started ringing so I excused myself and stepped away. I thought he said Sookie Stack…. but I wasn't too sure because Cleo was yelling in my ear about being so rude to not bring her along so that she could spend my vacation time with me. She said it wasn't fair that I went without her.

I asked what she meant about that, we were not exclusive with one another and I could go on vacation with whomever and whenever I wanted.

I should have hung up the phone but I didn't, I was trying to be polite so I let her rant instead…

How the hell do I find these nut jobs?

It was just then that I spotted the older woman coming my way. She lifted her finger up like she needed to speak with me, so I took my phone away from my ear so that I could hear her.

Instead she took my phone and started talking to Cleo.

It really wasn't a talk. It was more like a lecture from a **_skilled professor of etiquette_**.

I was in awe.

She kindly told Cleo off. She told her I would not be allowed my phone; I was more or less grounded from it for the duration of my vacation.

**FUCKING AWESOME**

I think I heard Alcide and Pam clapping, I was so gob smacked that I was willing do anything for this woman so that Cleo would stay away from me via phone…

I knew I was smiling; my face hurt because my smile was sooooooo big, I asked her to keep my phone so I wasn't tempted to answer the bitch's calls.

I was more respectful of course but that's what I meant.

She introduced herself as Sookie' grandmother Adele but everyone called her Gran.

She was a sweet lady, Alcide had mentioned her a time or two and knew I would fall in love with her like he had…. It was only a matter of time.

Once the introductions were over Gran asked for us to move into the house so that she could sit down since her body was up in years.

She was a beautiful woman inside and out and I was in awe.

She looked pretty agile but I was willing to go inside and get unpacked, it had been a long day.

Alcide took me to my room; he let me know that his parent's set it up just for me like they did Sookie's room which was next door to mine and Gran was down the hall. As I was getting my clothes put away I heard Pam, Gran and Sabrina on the floor upstairs, I guess Pam chose to stay up there by herself… I was jealous but I knew our floor would be quiet too since two of the rooms would not be occupied.

We were called downstairs for lunch but we opted to eat outside since it was so nice out.

As we finished up Gran asked me how often I was going to be around.

**OHHHH Shit**

I just looked at her inquisitively and said I will try to get here for the holidays and during some of my free time from work. I didn't have a set schedule so I was unsure of how often or when.

She apologized for being nosey and just said that she, Sookie and Jason would now be spending the holidays at the Herveaux's since they had become honorary family members.

Alcide chuckled.

WTF.

I knew the H's said I was always welcome but if their family was growing I didn't want to get in their way. I might have to rethink how often I spent here.

I guess I would talk to Alcide and Pam about it later….

We all were having a great time but I knew I needed to call my Mom and agent and give them a heads up but I didn't want to leave my pseudo family.

They felt like home and as I got to know Gran better I loved her just like Alcide did.

A few days had passed and with no cell phone to worry about, I felt like I was in heaven. Gran kept my phone with her all the time but on mute just in case an important phone call came through. There was actually nothing important except for Cleo blowing up my phone with texts and phone messages. Gran would just hand me my phone and I would delete them without even listening.

I was hoping the **Bitch** was getting the silent message being sent to her.

... I wanted nothing to do with her. ...

But from how often and how many messages were left I doubted it.

The first week passed by quickly, we drank and lay out by the pool and just relaxed. It was kinda weird at first for Gran to come out and spend the afternoon with us and just laugh at our silliness; but I got use to it and expected it.

After the fifth day I came to realize why Alcide loved this woman.

She was **AWESOME**.

Gran was always up to no good with Pam; I think Pam fell in love with her too as her matriarch grandparent. Gran even held Pam's hand when she needed comforting…. It was sweet and unexpected.

She was quick witted but stern with our cussing, she said she loved us like her own and I think that is why we loved her back.

She was kind and gentle.

She even allowed each one of us time to vent to her about our life issues and she would offer us back her wisdom and kind words.

We spoke every couple of days and she offered advice when she thought I needed it.

I talked to her about past relationships. I told her about the one that got away and that I still had feelings for her. That my mom called us soul mates but I wasn't too sure how to fix it…

Her advice to me, "Time will tell and if we were meant to be our lives would be knitted together. But to let nature takes it course."

Funny thing was I think Gran knew who I was talking about by the grin on her face and the knowing nod from her head but I never mentioned Sookie's name to her. I told her all the other's names but not Sookie's.

I told her about Miss Stackhouse and how I helped her out. How I had sent her a gift after the trial and hoped she liked it.

She told me that was a very kind thing to do. That she heard about this stalker guy and he was not a very nice fella. She was proud of me for standing up for a stranger and she would be forever grateful as she believed the young lady was.

Gran had a way of nicking away at your heart and show you that you are a valuable individual even when you thought you weren't.

Alcide and I left the house a few times on our own to run to the store to get the items we needed to supplement our drinking needs but every time we went out we would be noticed by fans and had to get away quickly.

I know it is an obstacle of our life but sometimes I just wanted to be normal again; where I could walk into a restaurant or a grocery store and be left alone.

One afternoon I was talking to Gran and she said that her small town would be perfect for me, once everyone knows you they say hello and then leave you alone. However, there was a town gossip, her friend Maxine, she was harmless just nosey.

I never told Gran what I did for a living, I didn't want her to judge me but I knew I couldn't lie to her either. She meant too much to me after two weeks; I knew one day before we left I wanted her to know… I thought she earned that right.

I thought I had overheard Gran talking to Pam about her granddaughter Sookie and she was sure that Sook would love to meet all of us and she hoped that was soon. She knew she wouldn't be around forever but she wanted her new grandbabies to meet her blood grandbabies. I saw Pam tear up and hug Gran and told her to stop talking such nonsense. There was plenty of time and that she would make sure we got back for the holidays.

I knew that was something I needed to bring up because I didn't want to intrude but hearing Gran call us her grandbabies put most of those fears to rest.

We were into the third week when Gran let us know that she needed to get home before Jason killed her cat Tina on accident. Jackson told her from now on Tina was to come along with her so she didn't worry about her; he would make sure he bought her a cat carrier.

She said she was grateful and that would ease her old heart.

I smiled at her and gave her a big hug.

I think she needed it…. _OR did I_?

I realized Gran was my GOD send for the time I was at the Herveaux's house. I was enjoying every minute of interacting with her.

She felt like a lifeline that I sorely needed.

The next few days went by quickly and I asked Gran if I could drive her home. I was curious about this little town she spoke about and she said she would be grateful… I also wanted some time alone so I could think about my life and how I was going to proceed. I knew I wanted My Sookie but I just didn't know how to go about getting her and I needed to wash my hands of Cleo.

I let Jack know I needed a car; I was taking Gran home and he just smiled and said take whatever vehicle Gran was most comfortable in.

As we loaded Gran's luggage up, Sabrina told her Halloween was not too far away and they would talk weekly.

Jack told her that he would miss her; they would talk on occasion or he would come by when he was down that way for a job. She told him lunch would always be waiting.

Pam told her she loved her and that she would call her when she could, apparently they exchanged phone numbers. Pam was never one to get close to anyone especially an elder but I think Gran got to her just like the rest of us.

Alcide just picked her up bridal style and carried her towards the sedans door and told her she would always be his number one. She kissed his cheek and told him to put her down. As he did she hugged his neck and told him to call her if he needed to talk about Angela and how to win her back. He just smiled at her and told her he loved her and kissed her on the cheek.

Well damn I was the only one that didn't have her phone number already. I guess I would get it from her on our trip to her house.

We were loaded up and on our way when Gran looked at me and asked me what was wrong. My eyebrows were furrowed and my forehead was all wrinkly.

I just sighed and told her I have a lot of my mind.

Her response, "_Out with it **NOW**_."

I knew that look, that was the look of determination and I knew I would not get away with not answering.

"Gran, I don't want to burden you with all of my troubles."

"Child, I am here for you as another adult or as your Gran. Just start at the beginning, wherever that may be and I will interject when I can or if I see it's needed."

"Thank You, well first off I want to tell you what my career is."

"Child there is no need for that, you, Alcide and I think Pam too, are private about it but I have my suspicions since the word agent was mentioned. I may be old but I am not senile YET."

I chuckled.

"Gran I am an actor. I have a TV show named "Blood Moon", Alcide and I are the stars of the show. When I am not on the show I am in various movies. I film all over the world. I love my job but sometimes the limelight wears me out. I don't think I will ever find a mate who wants me for me. Not the façade that I wear for the press. I think this is why I attract the loonies of the world."

"Oh sweetie, that is so not true. There is someone out there for you… She is waiting and I am sure she is sane. But you have to give it some time. You may have met her already but your timing was off. Give yourself time. Be careful with whom you meet. Guard yourself and your heart. But open it up when you feel the time is right. The right person is out there for you and in time the fates will knit you together."

"Gran, I am careful… After the mistake of Dawn Green I am very careful… but the person I want the most…**SIGH**… I don't think I will ever meet again. Her smile lights up the room… she blushes the prettiest shade of red…. She is coy and she smells like, I can't describe it…. Its unique….. I believe she talks to me in the morning and night and I try to remember to talk to her too but theses past couple of months; shit I screwed up….. I missed her cues….. I have been so wrapped up in the Cleo's drama that I missed her cues….. I get melancholy knowing that I messed up and she doesn't feel me back…. My mom says when soul mates are ready to meet they will but sometimes they miss each other all together and it never happens. Damn it Gran I don't want to miss out on her but I don't know how to go about finding her and I don't want to stalk her….. That would not be fair to her…. Especially, if she finds someone else because I waited too long….. I am at a loss when it comes to Sookie, hell I don't even know her last name. It's infuriating, if I had a last name I could track her down, I could find her….."

"Ssshhh Eric that would be considered stalking and not healthy."

"Damn it Gran what the hell do I do? I need her…. I know it's not healthy to need someone this badly especially when we really haven't been introduced correctly… But she stirs things in me that I never thought was possible. She made me smirk, smile and blush all at the same time. What does that tell you?"

"You are In Love With Her."

"What?"

"You heard me, I know you think that is impossible but if you two are soul mates it is perfectly true. Now Eric, I am going to tell you something I tell my blood grandbabies. Don't waste away waiting for your soul mate. Live your life and if it is meant to be it will be. However, if you meet someone and you think it feels right do not waste that relationship and have regret later. You may have to go through a few more bad relationships before you get to the right one **OR** one may just pop up when you least expect it to."

"Gran, how do I get away from Cleo?"

"Well first ignore her, don't pick up her phone calls, don't respond to her texts and don't tell her your home. I have one more question about her; will you be honest with me please?"

Yes

"Eric did you ever have sex with her?"

I was shocked and my face showed it.

"Child, I asked because I wanted to know if she could blackmail you by saying she was pregnant?"

"OOOHHH, No never, it came close but we never finalized anything… She usually passed out and I would leave and go home."

"Okay so avoidance is your ticket to dismissal."

"Gran you say the damndest things… Thank you."

"Anytime, so Eric what else do you have to talk about or did we get it all covered?"

" UMMM, okay before I ask my next embarrassing question. What exit do I take?"

She laughed, "you have two more exits, the sign will say Bon Temps and when we get off the ramp take a right and go about 4 miles to Hummingbird Lane. But if you want to drive around my little town take a left and I can show you the sights."

"Left it is"

"Gran, how do you suppose I get a message out to Sookie so she knows I am thinking about her?"

"Hmmmmm, well on that show of yours do you ever get to say anything in the credits? I don't watch much TV, I would rather read, I saw a show where they said _in memory of_ at the end and then I saw another funny show where they had sayings and such at the end. It was like helpful hints and such…. I can't remember the shows name though."

"No we don't but that doesn't mean I can't ask to do something like that to draw our fans in more."

"Well, if you can get the show to do it. You should put a message there that she will understand."

"That makes sense, thanks Gran… ohh here's the exit now."

I took my exit right and then my left at the stop sign; I headed for down town proper. There wasn't much of BonTemps. There was a school, a library, police station, some small town stores, a Sonic and some small houses.

As we drove I noticed the speed limit was 15miles per hour. People were looking to see who was in the shiny luxury sedan driving through town. They soon realized it was Gran so they waved at her and she waved back…. It felt a little bit odd not being in the spotlight, but I was enjoying it.

I wasn't the one in limelight, Gran was.

So we could get Gran home quick enough we made a U-turn at the Grab N Go and as we were coming up to a stop sign; out walks this large robust woman into the middle of the road and puts her hand up like a cop motioning me to stop.

"Cheese and Biscuits, Gran yells out, Maxine get out of the dang road…. You are no traffic cop."

The woman walks up to my window and asks me who I am and to state my business. I laughed a little and said, "I am Miss Adele's driver for the day and she was just showing me downtown proper before I take her home." I had a cheesy southern drawl and everything, Gran laughed.

"Maxine, this is my grandbaby Eric. He taking me home and then heading back to Shreveport so that he can catch his flight home."

What?

"Maxine, I have four grandbabies I just met on top of Jason, Sookie and Hadley. I haven't told you everything about my life…. I know this will be all over town by the time I get home so do you want the rest of their names to solve you the problem of not knowing."

"Yes please, Adele Stac….." Before she could finish Gran interrupted her,

"Maxine, we all know my name why bother saying the whole dang thing….. My grandbabies names are more important…. Jason, Sookie, Hadley, Eric, Alcide, Pam and Janice… and my son's name is Jackson and his wife is Sabrina… is that enough to quell your curiosity….. Can we get along NOW?"

I was in fucking AWE….. She diffused the situation quickly and stealthy.

I am glad she is on my side.

The woman stepped out of my way and I drove on, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw her mouth hanging open.

"Gran, I think you broke her."

"No such luck, she will recoup and Jason will hear about y'all before I can tell him."

"Gran use my cell phone please, call him…. Tell him to come out to the house to meet me and you can explain. He already knows about the Herveaux's right?"

"Oh yes he knows, that will work."

Gran dialed the phone and a gruff voice came over the phone. I swear I heard him say Stackhouse but I guess I was hearing things.

"Jason honey, it's Gran. I need you to come out to the house. I just fibbed to Maxine and I want you to hear it from me not her gossip…"

"Okay Gran I will be there in 10 minutes" …. "Thanks Jason see you then."

We drove along and I saw wide open spaces, then farm land and such, it was simple but beautiful.

Gran told me to slow down so I didn't miss the exit to Hummingbird Lane… It was a freaking dirt road….. what the hell.

"Gran, a dirt road, you live off a dirt road?"

"Yes child, it's not so bad I keep meaning to get the potholes fixed but I never have the extra money after taxes so I just fill in what I can."

"Gran, let me help you please? It would mean a lot to me. I want to take care of this, I have the means and the money please allow me to do this for you. I would feel better about you driving on a good driveway instead of pot holes."

"Child, we can discuss it later. Right now we have another issue."

As I looked up there was a girl sitting on the porch steps of an old farmhouse, glaring at us. I then saw another one round the corner from the back of the house…. Oh shit what was up with that….. Neither of them looked like Gran, so I figured they were friends of the family.

"Eric pull around back, that's where all family parks. and if you would be a dear and take my stuff into the house that would be great. I will see what these two want, they should be back to school already."

"Yes ma'am."

I parked the car where she told me to and the two girls ran around the house and stop dead in their tracks. The one that looks like a soccer mom has her mouth open and I swear I heard them both gasp.

"Gran, I don't have a house key."

"Eric, no need for one, just push the door open it's never locked."

I turned to her and growled, "Unacceptable that will be changing TOO."

As I opened the trunk I could see Gran usher the girls in the other direction. I hear them asking about me, she says that's my grandbaby Eric…. They both tried to speak and she hushed them…. I know who he is no need to tell me…. They both nod and tell her they wanted to surprise Soo …..

I was in the house so I didn't hear what was said…. I think they were talking about Sookie… but I wasn't sure. I put Gran's suitcases down in the living room and went back out to see what else Gran needed.

As I got to the front of the farmhouse this large black truck with pink flames down the side drove up. Out hopped this blond boy, I knew he was in his mid to late twenties but he still looked like a teenager….. he looked oddly familiar but I could not place why, but I just knew he was my cousin of sorts…..

Gran cooed, "Jason I want you to come meet Eric."

I walked over to Gran's side and stood and waited for him to size me up.

He nodded and stuck his hand out, "Jason Stac….." He never finished his name, the girls asked to be introduced at the same time.

"Eric, sorry about my manners this is Amelia Broadway and Tara Thornton. They are friends of Sookie's."

"Hello, nice to meet all of you…. I know this is odd and I am sure Gran has plenty to tell you and I should get back to Shreveport."

"Hush Eric, I want you to be here when I explain to Jason and if I leave anything out I need to know, okay."

Yes Ma'am.

Gran proceeded to tell Jason about the Herveaux's and how they have adopted his family because of Sookie. They wanted us all to start spending the Holidays in Shreveport with them… We would all have our own rooms and we would be one big happy family. But along with the deal were Eric Northman and Pam Ravenscroft… Jason was told to treat us like kin and call us cousins…

The girls stood there with open mouths…. I think they figured out everyone names as she said them…. I guess they were fans, who would of thunk there was fans in this little back water town…..

Gran finished up by saying that instead of having one cousin, Hadley, who they never see any more, he now has four additional cousins and one aunt and uncle. Jackson and Sabrina, Alcide, Janice, Eric and Pam…

**One big happy family.**

The girls just gasped…. Gran looked at them and told them they needed to shut their mouths they were catching flies.

I told Gran I would call her later and we could talk some more but as I started to walk away I remembered I still needed her phone number.

"Gran I need the house number so I can call you."

I took out my cell phone and she gave me her number so I keyed it in.

I kissed her on the cheek and said my goodbyes.

As I got to the car and opened the door, I swear I heard one of the girls squeal, Eric freakin Northman and Alcide Herveaux? Gran how the hell does you know them?

I guess Gran had some explaining to do.

I was on my way back to Shreveport with a plan and I needed Pam and Alcide's support with the producers… I would get a message to Sookie one way or another.

As I passed by everyone on my way out, I waved and they waved back but Jason yelled at me to stop for a minute.

I rolled down the window and asked what's up.

All he said was, "Thanks for taking care of my family man."

He turned around and walked away.

Hmmmm what the hell was that all about? The only person in his family that I knew was Gran and I guess bringing her home safely was taking care of his family…. I had yet to meet his sister.

Oh well, I will just caulk it up as odd….

As I drove to Shreveport I thought about what Gran said.

I would live my life but if there was a way for me and Sookie to meet I would find it…

Plus I had a driveway to get fixed…..


	19. OSM

**This chapter has not been Beta'd , so all the mistakes are mine.. Disclaimer: my cast of characters belongs to Charlaine Harris and the SVM series and I am just taking them out for a spin.**

* * *

**Chapter 17 OSM**

**GPOV**

As Eric drove away, Jason walked back to Gran and said, "I like him Gran, will he be there during the holidays so I can get to know him better?"

Gran just nodded and said, "When time permits he will be there, he is a busy man.

Okay girls before this gets out of control lets step into the house….I need to make a quick phone call and then we will talk…. Jason are you gonna stick around or come back after for supper?"

"Naw, I got things to do, I will come back later about 5:30pm if that's okay with ya?"

"Of course Jason, see you then." He kissed my cheek and left.

As the girls and I walked into the house, Jason honked goodbye and drove like a bat out of hell down the pitted driveway. That driveway did really need to get fixed but since money was tight it would not be happening anytime soon, but I have a feeling my driveway would be fixed via Eric; I would be grateful but it wasn't something he needed to do.

"Girls, take a seat at the kitchen table so you can eavesdrop easier on my phone call plus it may fill in some blanks before we talk…."

I picked up the phone and dialed the Herveaux's… I was a bit nervous but they needed to know my plan did not work out; they needed to know about the girls being here when we arrived.

Plus I needed to fill them in about Maxine, that busy body….

I know I don't swear much, but as I was listening to the ring tone, I may have muttered "Fuck a Duck" as the phone was picked up on the other end.

I heard "**excuse me"** on the other end.

It was Alcide of course…. All I heard was, "GRAN you don't cuss, do you need me to smack your head for you?"…. I laughed a bit in the phone.

That boy could make me laugh…..

"Hello Alcide, is Jackson and everyone there? I really need to talk to all of you before Eric gets back to Shreveport. When you get everyone together make sure it's on speaker phone. Okay, sweetie."

Alcide, said, "Sure Gran give me a minute while I round everyone up."

While we waited I asked Amelia to help me get the portable phone and put it on speaker phone so that they could hear too…. She ran like a bat out of hell to the living room and was back quick as a flash….

Hmm, she was so curious; I was just hoping to be able to swear her and Tara to secrecy so that we could work on this as a group… Two new members could not hurt; as long as they could kept their mouths shut…..

But I think since it was me asking these two to be quite, we may have a chance.

"Tara, Amelia, I need you to swear on the bible you will not tell Sookie anything about what we are going to discuss. If you need to talk about it, do it amongst yourselves or speak with Janice. But we will fill you in on everything; how we figured things out, as of right now Sookie and Eric are still oblivious to what we have uncovered and we don't want to push things to quickly for them just in case it is not their time…. Can you do this for me please?"

Both girls nodded but you could tell they wanted to speak… but were holding their tongues and for Amelia that was a pretty hard thing to do…

I smiled at them and we heard everyone on the other end say they were ready.

"Hello everyone, well Eric left here about 10 minutes ago so we have about 30 minutes to talk before he gets back to you. We have a minor issue and I needed y'all to know before anything else happens… Jack can you and I be the main speakers please so we can get through this quickly?"

"Of course Gran, what's up?"

"Well Eric and I had a nice time together; we spoke about his career and his love life, how to get rid of Cleo and what to do about Sookie. Yes he finally told me about her. We took a quick trip around Bon Temps; Girls, close your mouths your catching flies and he met Maxine, Jason, Tara and Amelia."

I heard a faint, "Cheese and Biscuits."

"Pammy is that you? Am I rubbing off on you since you didn't drop the F bomb?"

We heard a lot of laughing coming from the other end.

"Yes Gran it's me, what do you mean you met up with all these people; what happened to the plan of Eric seeing the pictures in the house of Sookie?"

"Well that didn't go so well. Let me finish up so I can fill you in….. We drove around BonTemps for about 10 minutes or more and Maxine stepped in front of us like a damn traffic cop to stop us, she asked Eric to state his business… It was fun to watch him act a little like my personal chauffeur using a cheesy southern drawl… Maxine backed off after I explained that Eric was my grandbaby that just came back into my life along with Pam, Alcide and Janice. I also told her I had a son named Jackson that no one knew about and his wife Sabrina… I called Jason and he high tailed it over here so he could hear it from me, not the town gossip… When we arrived home my plan got shot out of the water when Tara was sitting on the front stoop and Amelia came running from around the back of the house… I asked Eric to take my stuff into the house, hoping he would look around but he was quick to get back out to me as Jason pulled up…. My boy was scared to leave me out front with these two girls that he didn't know… he never left my side until he said he needed to get back to Shreveport… Jason was introduced as were the girls…. Now the girls don't know much, **YET**, they are sitting here with me so we can fill them in and get them involved to help us out…. They have sworn to me that they will keep their traps shut about all this to Sookie and only speak to us or Janice."

"Gran, what have you told the girls? If anything? "

"Nothing but what they have heard from this phone call and the little they got while Eric and I were filling in Jason.

To be known, the girls will know more about this than Jason, he knows Eric is the one that helped Sookie out and now he has helped me get back from Shreveport and that he is by extension family now since I told him he was to treat my new grandbabies like kin...

That being said, the girls are anxious to be clued in, Jack do you want to take over?"

"Hello Girls, it's nice talking to you again since the trial. Yes Alcide is mine and Sabrina's son and Janice's brother… We have always kept quiet about Alcide career so he can live a private life while at home. We apologize for not telling you sooner but we thought it was best until we figured everything out. You can speak to Janice of it while up at school, but please, we ask you to do it discreetly… And yes you will still be invited home for spring breaks and such… Will Alcide be here we do not know, but if he is you need to be discreet until Sookie figures this out on her own or is told? Do you think you can do this?"

There was a collective YES said by both girls.

"So we started putting two and two together at the trial… I am sure Sook has seen some things and just ignored them but once she realizes what she missed she is going to kick herself in the ass about it… We want these two together, don't get us wrong; we are torn about telling them out right but we feel if we did this we may ruin what they could possibly have as a future. We don't like hiding things from them but we think they are soul mates and to be honest they are both so deeply in love with the other that we feel if we thrust them together at the wrong time it will damage anything they may find with one another… We know since they keep missing each other here at the house and Eric missed seeing the pictures at Gran's that it is not their time to be a couple. It may take a year, two or more for FATE to knit them together. We won't stop trying to get them in the same location but we won't force it. Do you understand what we are trying to accomplish?"

**YES **

"Okay our plan of attack is this, we invite them to everything, we try to get them together at the same function but we let nature takes it course, we don't interfere if they are dating someone else… WE don't want them pining and missing out on life, so if you need to get Sook out on a date, do it… don't change up your routine or she will figure out you are up to something. We don't want to be sneaky and have them hate us but we don't want to screw with FATE either…. I know at first they may hate us, a lot, but we are all prepared for their wrath if it happens…. Case in point Sookie's car…. It was Eric who wrecked it not Pam… But Pam is willing to take the blame."

"Excuse me, Pam… Pam who? I heard Gran mentioned Pam but who is she to everyone?"

Pam spoke up, "**you**_** vermin need to leave my establishment**_." …...

"Do you know who I am now?"

Tara spoke up, "Your shitten me? Pam Ravenscroft from Blood Moon?" …. **SLAP**… "Damn Gran that hurt, stop hitten me, I didn't mean to cuss, but damn first Eric "Fucking" Northman, then Alcide "werewolf" Herveaux and now the Pam "the Bitch" Ravenscroft….. It's all a bit shocken and thrillin at the same time….. shit I have gone back to frekin southern slang… damit Gran give me a moment here to compose myself."

Alcide spoke up, "Gran I thought I was the only one you smacked up the back of the head when I cussed. I feel unloved now, violated and cheated on…

sniff sniff…..

ah damn Gran you are making me feel unwanted… I told you, you were my number one girl and now you are cheating on me I thought those were love taps between you and me, I guess….sniff sniff… I was wrong…sniff…sniff… sigh."

"Gran, you hit Alcide Herveaux … But he is ten times bigger than you."

"Listen up both of you… Y'all know how I feel about cussing and if I need to calibrate you I will.

Alcide honey, I will always be your number one girl…. But cussing is not necessary sometimes and I need to remind you young folks about that on occasion… It don't mean I love you any less, you are my big bear of a grandbaby and don't you forget it…

Tara you have been around me since you were a small one, you know better and do we need to have that talk again?"

"No Ma'am"

"But Gran when I answered the phone you said, "**Fuck a duck**" who gets to calibrate you?"

**AND** we were put back on track as everyone laughed, including me.

"Okay since the trip home didn't go as scheduled. What do we do now?"

"Oh, Alcide and Pam this here is for you; Eric is going to introduce a plan to you when he gets home can you help him follow through on it. Plus he is going to need y'alls help getting rid of Cleo….. I think she is going to try and say she is pregnant but he has reassured me sex never happened and I believe him… "

Sure Gran, anything you need.

"Jackson, is there anything else we need to discuss? I know we have been on the phone for about 20 minutes and Eric is due into you any minute…"

"Gran I can't think of anything but I am sure if we do we can give you a call… Sabrina, anything?"

"No I think we are good."

"Well Gran I think we are good to go…"

"Gran can I call you later just to talk I miss you already, I don't know what I am going to do when I'm on set.…. Plus, is my Cuz going to be there so you can introduce me to him?"

Damn, Pam was purring as she said it.

"Pamela, yes you can call me later and yes Jason will be here for supper around 5:30pm, so call around 6-6:30pm okay sweetie.."

"Gran a car just drove up so we need to go we will talk to you later if we think of anything new or the girls come up with anything. We love you and wish you were still here."

At that the phone call was ended and the girls were staring at me…..

Girls let me run to the ladies and I will be right back. I got rather quickly and the girls were glaring at me.

"Okay, shoot, what questions do you all have… we need to make this quick so you girls can get to school since my estimate is you are two weeks behind at least."

"Gran, why can't we tell Sookie? ….. She is going to hate us when she finds out."

"No child, she won't … her gut reaction will be to not trust you but in the end she will come to reason and I am sure the person she will hate the most is herself. There have been so many times that she should have figured this out all on her own, the first being that one of her best friends has the same last name as the actor you went to see and get a picture of. The second being Jackson looking like an older version of Alcide. She has met Alcide in person she should have connected things already, but she is not looking for hidden meanings so she missed it. She has talked to Alcide's girlfriend she should have connected that Angela with the Angela she met on the Extra's set just by the name, who she was dating and that she was Canadian, but she missed it…The Extra's call, y'all getting in so easy was set up for you by Alcide; but Sookie was all on her own and Eric was surprised to see her… Don't you know Eric had Alcide go search for her after she left the set. If he had caught up to her this would have been over with months ago. But we are looking at it like _FATE_ doesn't want them together yet_; they are not ready yet for the power of the love they share_… Yes girls, each is in love with the other but please don't push her on it. I want Sookie to enjoy life and if that means dating other gentleman in the mean time then make it happen… We don't want her pining away as a hermit and never enjoy life; makes sure she meets new people, make sure she gets out there…. I don't want her to miss an opportunity and I have told My Eric the same thing…. When it is time for them to meet again and start a relationship even if it is just a friendship then it will happen and it will happen for a reason. Plus if she had paid attention just three weeks ago she would have seen Pam in the taxi right next to her car waving at her to stop but she didn't, it didn't even dawn on her she knew the blonde woman in the taxi and she just drove away… If my little girl had just paid better attention she would have seen her Eric sitting next to Pam, but again it wasn't meant to be. Just like Eric coming into my home but not looking around; if he had he would have noticed Sookie's pictures and connected the dots and he would now be on his way to LSU instead of going back to Shreveport…. It just a matter of _FATE_ and how it is being knitted and right now it is knitting them apart for the time being…."

"But Gran, we can help it along faster by telling her…. But if we do nothing she will miss out, won't she?"

"No, My Sookie won't miss out because right now she needs to focus on her schooling, graduate and make her dreams happen. Right now My Eric has to focus on his work and he will be away from her for too many days to make a success at their relationship. They both realize if they meet it has to be during a long break of some sort so they can have time to start their relationship up. Eric understands this but it will not stop him from trying to reach out to her… If by some chance another Extra's call is here in Shreveport make sure you all attend, Alcide will make sure you all get on the set again; if not Pam and I am sure Felicia will help she is aware of the two Sookie's being the same one.…. Alcide and Pam both love Eric dearly and want to help him find his soul mate and **We** as a team are just going to try and help it along as much as possible."

"Gran, I don't know, if JB ever kept something like this away from me I don't know if I could talk to him again. "

"Same goes for me and Tray….. I know my dad would hide stuff from me but I don't think someone as close as a boyfriend or best friend should do something like that."

"Girls, I know it is hard. Don't you think it is even harder on poor Janice? Alcide is her brother and she has to hide that… She is very proud of her brother but she has to hide it so he has privacy. More or less we are doing the same thing for Eric… since he is a celebrity what do you think would happen if some gossip rag got a hold of this info and used it against Eric and or Sookie, don't you think they would drag up her past and out would pop Quinn, big as life and then maybe they would question Sookie's testimony at the trial. Quinn and his family could get released. NO, we need to let them meet differently so they can start fresh… We have plans for the holidays so we will see what happens and I am sure the Herveaux's will allow you to attend, they have big hearts. Discuss it with Janice; be on the same page as her… She has more insight since Sookie has talked to her. Don't pry, be supportive. Plus don't you think once Sookie realizes everything she will be more made at me, Jackson and Sabrina…. We will suffer her wrath but we will also talk to her to see reason…. It may take us ganging up on her to accomplish it but it will work… If by chance Alcide or Pam or even maybe Eric is at the Herveaux's house when the realization hits, don't you think she is going to feel like a fool for everything. She hugs and kisses Alcide like her brother but yet she hasn't realized that this is the man in the photo she keeps on her night stand or the man she watches every week on her show. She is not stupid or a moron, she is just wrapped up in her sights of everything Eric that she is missing out on close opportunities… She will connect everything and we will be here as her support network to get her through it…."

"Okay Gran we will be with you on this 100%, we just hope it doesn't backfire…. But first how do we go about asking Janice and her confiding in us?"

"I will speak with Jackson and he will get a hold of her. I will talk to him later when Pam calls me. I have new grandbabies to take care of so my life has become full once more; my glass was always full but now it runneth over…. It makes me happy to help all of you… You know I have always treated you two as one of my own and that will never change... I am here for you too. Now scoot so that you can make it to Baton Rouge tonight at a decent hour…. Hopefully, before dark… Please call me when you arrive so I know you two made it safely. Tomorrow is another day…"

I walked the girls out and waved goodbye. This was going to be tricky going forward but I know if we all stayed on the same page we could help our two love birds get together one day… Just when that day would happen only time would tell…

Cheese and Biscuits, **FATE **was definitely a fickle bitch….

Now to make supper, Jason would be here in three hours.

* * *

**Authors note… I hope this chapter helps answer why they family just doesn't tell Sookie and Eric everything….. Thank you for reading and I enjoy each and every one of your comments… Even the not so good ones. Kristie**


	20. The Plan

**Author's Note** - **My Story** is about FATE and how it twists our lives in different directions… Where Murphy's Law strikes time and time again; where simple miss reads or déjà vu's happen but we tend to ignore them. Where a family is trying to do the right thing but feel if they interfere they will ruin not one life but two, who opt to stay out as much as humanely possible but still have a small minuscule influence. When the time is right it will happen.

I had one reviewer tell me about her life and how this story reminded her of hers and her husband's relationship since they lived in the same town and it took four years before they met; it happens every day and we just overlook it. As one reviewer stated looking from the outside in we see what is happening we see what they miss and don't understand why they haven't figured it out. But while you are living the situation you don't see it and when it finally dawns on you all the missed opportunities, déjà vu's and OSM come flooding back. It's at that time you want to kick yourself in the pants for missing it all. It has happened to me many many times but I continue on just like this story will.

However I have other reviewers whom don't like the direction of the story or the angst or the long winded chapters by all means please stop reading. It is entirely your right and prerogative to read or not, review or not. I won't stop you from reading or leaving. I do this for fun, this is my hobby and I could stop anytime I like and would not look back. I work 45-50hrs a week and raise two sons with my husband, I BETA (edit) for two others writers, I have a life besides writing and could stop on a dime if I choose to; I have seen so many good writers stop mid story and disappear but I will continue for now and see where it leads me. I will always try to answer all reviews as quickly as possible but sometimes it takes me a day or two.

Thank you for reading my rant…. I appreciate all of you who have been following my story and are enjoying it. Who are taking it for what it is a story. Eric and Sookie match ups are my couple of choice and this story will end up there but it will take time.

PS- thank you EricIzMine for the awesome phrase "Fuck a Duck", I had never heard it until she wrote it in the Multiverse… As always the characters of this story belong to Charlaine Harris and her SVM universe. My work is still un-Beta'd and tall the mistakes are mine.

Hugs and My Best Kristie

* * *

**Chapter 18 The Plan **

**EPOV**

I arrived at the Herveaux house a little bit before 2pm.

I had driven at a leisurely pace so that I could think about what I needed to get done in my life and how to go about doing it. It was going to take a little bit of time but I knew I could pull everything together.

Plus I needed to work on fixing Gran's driveway from the way it is now; that shit just doesn't fly with me, she could get hurt or someone could sue her for getting hurt coming down that pothole ridden road. I know she doesn't have much and she is happy but if I can make her life a little happier and simpler I will.

I have grown to love Gran over the last three weeks, if she will allow me to I will help her take care of her bills and home. I just have to let her know I am just taking care of her and it's not like being a kept woman; I know that will go against her moral code.

However, I want her last years spent without worries and I have the means to provide it for her since I have no one to take care of… I have my step mom but she is already taken care of by my dad's estate.

I don't ever want to see her be without ever again.

Maybe I will get Alcide to talk to her about it, since she is his number one girl… That there just makes me laugh, but I understand why he feels that way…. She has us all wrapped around her little finger…..

**Gran is an AWESOME person.**

I feel honored to have her in my life.

I walked in the kitchen and everyone was sitting there like they were waiting on me. I just chuckled to myself, why on earth would they be waiting on me?

I said hello and asked Alcide and Jackson if they had a minute to talk. Mom and Pam wanted to know why they weren't invited to stay. I just shook my head and asked them if they knew anything about construction? They both nodded **No** but asked if it was okay to stay.

"Jack I need to know if you know of a reputable company that could repair and replace Gran's driveway? I told her I was going to have it fixed for her… She said we would talk but when we got to her home she had company so we did not get a chance to talk about it. I wanted to take a look around her home but I didn't get a chance because of the two girls out front waiting and I didn't want to snoop around without her approval, plus Jason drove up."

"HMMM you got to meet Jason, what's our Cuz like?"

"Pam chill, he is not a piece of meat. Plus you will meet him soon enough…. Funny thing is he looks about 20 years old even though he is in his late twenties. He drives a big black truck and is pretty agile from watching him hop out of his truck."

Everyone chuckled at our banter.

Jack then chuckled and said, "Hell I have been trying to get Gran to let me repair the driveway but she said that it was a costly repair that she could afford. So I dropped it."

"Well I am just going to do it and she can rain down on me later with her wrath. Being in California when it happens will help; the distance will be my friend and by the time I see her again she will have calmed down."

"So you got a name?"

"Yeah, Calvin Norris, he lives out right past Bon temps, in an even smaller town called Hotshot. He can fix it for you and he guarantees his work. I will get his number for you in a little while. Is that all you need from me or is there more?"

"Well I need you to help me convince her to start locking her doors."

I heard a **WHAT the Fuck** from Pam… Alcide just growled… While Jack and Sabrina just shook their heads.

"Yeah, she leaves her door unlock at all hours of the day and night. I don't like it. I am sure everyone does it in a small town but if the paparazzi catch wind of the Three Musketeers visiting a small town I don't want anyone getting in her home and stealing stuff or hurting her.

Apparently it was unlocked the whole time she was here."

Jackson spoke first…. "I will talk to her about it tonight. Pam wanted to call her tonight since she misses her already so I will speak with her then. I think it would be in her best interest to start locking up and I will give her your reasoning about the paparazzi."

"Thank you"

"Is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Yeah, a couple of things. The two girls I met today do you know them? They seemed awfully familiar but I cannot place them….Their names were Tara and Amelia."

"Yes, they are friends of Sookie and Janice's. Why weren't they up at school already?"

"Don't know for sure they just introduced themselves while Jason was introducing himself…. I got an off the wall feeling like I have either met them before or heard their names before. But I never asked them where I knew them from since it was my first time in town"

Sabrina said, "So you had a déjà vu moment. You will figure it out when you least expect to."

"Yeah I guess."

"So my next question is about Cleo… How do I ditch her… Gran told me avoidance but I have a feeling that's not going to work. Plus Gran seems to think she will use the pregnancy card to keep me around. Just so you know I never slept with her."

Sabrina was the one to speak, "Avoidance is the best bet. If you have to when you get back, get a new cell phone number, give it out to just family and your agent, it will keep her off your phone for a little while. Plus, you can stay with Alcide or Pam until you know the coast is clear. You have two weeks between now and the filming starts for Blood Moon; you are all welcome to stay here longer if you like… You can just relax, leave your cell phone with me and maybe go down and visit Gran again. I am sure she will like that."

"That sounded like a great plan but I wanted to get the driveway done in the next week or so and I didn't want Gran's wrath but maybe it will work out if I did go down there and spend some time with her and help her out while it was being done… Physical labor would do us all good.

Pam, Alcide you want to take a drive in a few days to go spend time with Gran? Damn, I never asked does she have the room or should we commute each day?"

Jack spoke up this time, "When we talk to her later we will ask her if she has the room and if she wants company? I know she raised Sookie and Jason so she has at least two extra rooms in that old farmhouse. But keep in mind she doesn't have central air so the day might get a little warm for you guys. Plus she doesn't have a pool to lounge in either."

"What do you mean she doesn't have air? Does she not have heat either?"

"The farmhouse has been in the family for a long time… One of the ancestors built it and each relation has built up on it. The windows are all screened so during the day, the windows and doors are opened for air circulation. During the winter months she has a fireplace that warms the house."

"Jackson, I want to install a central air and heating system for her too. Do you know someone that can help me out with that?"

"Yes, I do. ME."

"Oh Jackson hunny, what about the older system you took out of the Compton place… do you still have it? Those idiots replace their system every two years whether it needs it or not and you are left to get rid of the used one. Is it in good shape? Their house is much bigger so it should fit just right for Gran home don't you think? What about the electrical parts will that have to be changed too?"

"Yes we do still have it …. The boys just placed it in the storage unit. I will make a work order for Monday and have them go out on Tuesday to install it… The electric should be fine but the boys can install a new breaker for the unit…By that time the kids will be there, they can keep her occupied while they're there. Maybe take her to Merlotte's for lunch and it can be installed while they are out and about. And when she gets home _wa la AIR_. "

The plan was coming together nicely. Now we just had to get to Bon Temps to start on it.

Pam spoke up next, "well if you guys really want to go "whole hog" as they say, why don't you look into installing a pool while you are at it. She likes the one here and from what I hear her Sookie likes lounging by the pool and getting Alcide all hot and bothered."

Alcide growled at her.

"You would get all hot and bothered too if you saw her in that polka dot bikini… it's to die for."

We all chuckled but Jackson. He leered at Alcide and growled.

This growling shit was too funny.

Pam said, "Okay boys clam down…. there is only one Sookie and I am sure there is enough for only me."

Pam was cackling and Sabrina was bent over laughing.

It was like an inside joke that I just didn't get.

So I proceeded.

"Okay before we talk to Gran about staying with her, can I have you alls help on one more thing and then I am sure it is time for dinner, I just realized I never had lunch."

We all agreed to an early dinner since none of us ate.

So how do I proceed?

"Alcide and Pam I need your help more than mom and dad. While talking to Gran we thought of a way to contact **My Sookie** without talking to her."

I was getting funny looks.

"Okay you know on CBS at the end of an episode there is a funny quip or hint by Chuck Lorre? Well Gran suggested we leave messages for our fans. She said that since my Sookie likes the show maybe I should leave a message for her so that she knows that I still am thinking about her. I know it's a long shot and we have to get the shows approval but I think it would work… maybe the other stars of the show have fans that ask them the same question over and over again and they can answer it there. What do you think; will you help me get the approval?"

Jackson spoke first, "I think is a wonderful idea but how would you know which one of you gets what show. You have to make it even for each actor and since there are only 12 episodes a year you all would have to take turns. If it goes over well with the fans you can do it again next year. However, you will have to have a plan in hand when you go in to talk to the execs, have the list drawn up of who gets what episode. But to be clear I don't think the three of you should go first, let the smaller actors do it, have your names toward the middle or end of the year. That way you make it fair."

Sabrina spoke next. "You know you all are the stars of the show but it would show gratitude to the rest of the cast if you let them go first. Play smart not arrogant."

Alcide thought it was a good idea; he went in search of pen and paper so we could jot down what we thought. Plus we figured we could email the idea first then go in as a joint contingent and finalize it with the execs. I am sure we would have Felicia on our side; she always wants to make the fans happy.

**List: order of thank you messages**

Executives- thanking fans for watching

Ginger Evans

Jessica Hamby

Mark Stonebrook

Sophie Ann LeClerq

Pam Ravenscroft

Isabel Beaumont

Rasul Mohamed

Alcide Herveaux

Andre Paul

Steve Newlin

Eric Northman

All 12 episodes were now taken care of, now for the approval of the executives.

_This had to work, it just had to_.

We all helped out with dinner, we had gotten so use to Gran taking care of us that we had to get back in the swing of things. But you know if we were really going down to Bon Temps we would be falling back into the same routines once we got there. I enjoyed Gran taking care of me so I was going to lavish in it until we had to head back to California.

Pam was pacing after dinner; it was like she was waiting on a specific time to call her. Her only response to me; was hush Gran was having dinner with Jason so she had to wait she didn't want to interrupt their time together.

Funny, it was like she knew Gran's schedule. I guess I really was clueless to how attached Pam had gotten to Gran.

We all spoke to Gran later and she accepted our offer of coming down to her and hanging our hats for a week or two. She said she had plenty of space and we were always welcome…

We told her we would be there sometime Monday afternoon.

She laughed when we told her we would be stopping at the Piggley Wiggley in town to get food for the week we would be there since there was no way she would have enough food to feed the Three Musketeers. Plus it was an expense she didn't need.

Have you seen Alcide eat? That boy can put away a lot of food just by himself.

Pam brought up a swimming pool and she said she didn't have one, it was a luxury she couldn't afford but over at Jason's house there was a lake if we wanted to cool down. Pam's comment to Gran was well I guess I will just have to buy you one.

Gran just laughed and told her she had a little kiddie pool at the house that she could stick the lawn chair in and cool off her feet with when she was overly hot; Pam was more than welcome to use it. No need to get anything bigger.

Oh course Pam told her will see about that.

Plus there was an air conditioner on the way as well that Gran was clueless about.

If only Gran knew what we had in mind we would be swatted for sure.

Jackson called Calvin Norris about the driveway and he said he would be more than happy to start it next week and have it completed before we left. He would have to level and compact the dirt out and then use nice gravel over top of the dirt. He told Jackson it was a bad idea to pave it with asphalt since the house was so off the beaten path.

Jackson let Mr. Norris know that I would be paying for the driveway and he agreed he would make sure that only I received the invoice and to ignore any objections from Adele.

Our plans were made and we were moving forward.

Jackson let us know he would check into pool installers and have them get in touch with me at Gran's since there was a possibility that out in the country our cell phones would not have any coverage. It would be spotty at best.

We were all pretty excited come Monday.

We had packed our bags and figured it would be best to take one of the trucks, Alcide's favorite is his Dodge Ram so that's what we took plus it would handle the pot holes better.

We chatted along the way about the new season and what we might want to use as our sayings at the end of our allotted episode.

I knew I wanted to say something to Sookie and I thought it would be nice to say something to Miss Stackhouse as well….

Pam wanted to say something about The Three Musketeers and something to Gran.

Alcide of course said he would say something to Angela and Gran.

As we got closer I told Alcide what exit to take and to turn left instead of right so we could go to the Piggley Wiggley in town.

Like my first trip through town we were greeted with pleasant nods and stares.

In a small town everyone knew everyone and Alcide's big ol' truck and three strangers in it set off flags. We were being watched; kind of like in the move "Children of the Corn" it was getting creepy.

We stopped at the Piggley Wiggley and got us a couple of shopping carts and started walking around the store.

We knew we would be back during the week, if for nothing else to get more beer. Plus we knew that Gran probably didn't have a lot of storage space so we didn't want to go overboard. We had also talked about taking Gran out to dinner a few times while we were here so she didn't have to take care of us all the time.

As we rounded one of the aisles I was once again stopped by the _woman traffic cop_ from the other day. I know she is not a cop but that's what she acted like again when she asked me to state my business.

I don't think nosey covers what she is.

I chuckled at her, Pam grunted and Alcide growled …. We must have looked like lunatics.

"Hello Maxine, nice to see you again."

"How do I know you?"

"We met the other day when I was with Gran, I mean Adele."

"Oh, the missing grandson. Yeah I remember. I thought you was leaving? Who are the other two?"

"These are two of the other grandbabies she mentioned to you; Pam and Alcide."

"Well you and she look alike and he is to dark to be related to ya, do you have different mommas?"

"No same parents, we look like mom and he looks like dad."

We all laughed Jackson and Sabrina are going to get a kick out of this.

"Well you two are big ones. You married? Do you need a girlfriend? I am sure I can hook you up with some lonely girl in town… Sookie is out of the question since y'alls related."

"No were good thanks…. Well we should be going so we can get over to Grans since we are staying for the next week or so. Nice seeing you again."

I was sure she would be calling Gran within 5 minutes as soon as she could get to a phone.

"Goodbye children, I am sure I will be seeing you while you are here."

I heard Pam mutter, not if we can help it.

We continued to shop and I was on the other aisle away from Pam and I heard her gasp and I swore I heard her hand connect to a face. I left the cart and went running over to see what was up and it was none other than Jason apologizing for being so forward with her.

I was figuring he grabbed her ass.

I was unsure if he would see me through Alcide, so I had to more or less scream at Jason.

"Hey Cuz what have you been up to for the past couple of days?"

Alcide and Pam both turned around and I shrugged.

"Hey man is this your woman, I am sorry man. I didn't know, I have never seen her before and her ass was calling to me… What you doing here anyway I thought you were headed back home?"

So Jason does know what I do for a living, hmmmm.

"Oh change of plans and no she isn't my woman, that's Pam your other cousin and Alcide yet another one. We are staying at Gran's the next week or so; I am sure we will see each other again before we leave."

"Oh that's cool dude. I am out at Gran's at least three times a week for dinner since she says I don't eat right.

Of course this is when Pam stepped into the conversation.

"Oh I think you eat just right." Damn she was purring again. Maybe he would be the one to change her wicked ways you never know.

I could see this was going to be fun to watch.

"Well gotta run, gotta get back to the crew. See ya later."

Alcide looked at the cart, looked at the four of us and darted off. I knew what he was up to. He thought we didn't have enough meat for all of us. I know he eats a lot and Gran mentioned Jason eats a lot, so better safe than sorry.

Funny thing is when we got to the check out we were more or less accosted by Maxine again.

She had a RAG magazine in her hand with my picture on the front page.

Oh Hell.

Apparently Cleo sold her story to them about how I left her for Pam. I had run off when she told me she was pregnant but it turned out to be a false positive. She wanted everyone to know that my relationship with Pam was a false one and she just wanted me to come back home.

Well that sealed her coffin. Not touching that with a TEN FOOT pole.

She made this split easy. With a no comment from me and the RAG unable to reach me the story would die before we got back to California.

Maxine just glared and I asked her what was wrong?

"Is this you?"

"Yes"

"What do you have to say for yourself? You are dating your sister?"

By that time she pointed at Pam, whose picture was also on the cover.

Alcide just blurted out, **"damn, I was left out once again."**

I tried to explain that it was all gossip but she wouldn't hear anything I had to say. I finally told her to leave us be so we could get home to Gran.

She said she would be calling Adele to let her know what I have been up to.

I was looking forward to the conversation since it looked like Maxine would once again be calibrated by Gran.

We finished up as quickly as we could and walked out of the store but before we could get to the truck the cashier ran out after us to get our autographs.

Well we might as well get this over with and then they would leave us alone.

The girl, Maudette, was nice enough but neither Alcide nor I was interested but we were cordial to her anyway. She said she went to school with Sookie and she wishes she had been able to go away to school too but it wasn't in her future.

As we drove past everyone we got waves instead of nods and stares, word got around quick that we were related to Gran so we were welcomed into the fold.

This was just too funny, we were here less than an hour and already we were accepted, more or less.

I told Alcide to follow the road back the way we came and once we get passed the highway we have about 3 miles before we hit Gran's driveway; since it was set back a bit he needed to slow down so we didn't miss it.

Pam was in awe as we got passed the town and into the countryside.

She never imagined places like this. She only thought it happened in movies.

We all chuckled at that.

She told Alcide and me that it was very peaceful out here for her but she would be bored within a week and hammering for city life again.

As we started approaching the 3 mile mark, I told Alcide to slow down or we would miss it.

My only landmark was the mailbox with no name on it.

We turned onto the driveway and I told Pam to hold on; she was in for a bumpy ride.

We all laughed when she hit her head on the window.

Told you, to hold on… Alcide said he couldn't believe how bad the driveway was and he sure as shit didn't want to drive the sedan down it.

The truck was bad enough.

All I could say about that was you got to creep down it and you would be fine.

Besides in two weeks there would be a new driveway and all would be well.

As we drove up I told Alcide to park around back because that what family does.

I smiled at myself for remembering that is exactly what Gran had told me.

He parked the truck and as soon as we opened the doors Gran was waiting on the back porch with her arms opened wide. Pam didn't hesitate she ran to Gran like a bat out of hell and hugged her tight.

I could see it was going to be rough on Pam to leave her to go to California but I was sure Gran would talk her through it.

Pam was an only child like me, her parents had been dead since she was a young teenager so having Gran, me and the Herveaux's in her life was a godsend for her. She finally felt like she belonged to a family.

I could hear that conversation now; Gran would tell her that she had a job to do and there was always a phone so that she could call her anytime, but be mindful of the time difference.

We told Gran we needed to unload the groceries first and then we could get our things. She said that was a great plan but after groceries she wanted us to see her home before it got too late to explore.

We all nodded and in quick time we got the groceries unloaded and stored.

Gran just shook her head on how much we bought but we told her we ran into Jason and he said he would be out here at least three times if not more so we wanted to make sure we had enough for him too.

Gran asked how it went and Pam just rubbed her ass.

We had to explain that Jason grabbed her ass in the Piggley Wiggley and she slapped him… Gran was not happy with Jason for accosting Pam, she was going to let Jason know that Pam was as good girl and good girls deserve respect.

….Shit if she only knew Pam was far from being a good girl…

I asked where the bathroom was so I could go relieve myself and wash up before Gran gave us a tour.

Gran said it was around the corner from the living room next to the stairs leading up to the next floor.

As I walked away I saw Gran nod to Alcide and Pam smiled. I had no clue what they were up to until I walked around the corner.

**Well Hell**

There staring back at me was **MY Sookie** smiling in her graduation picture from high school.

**FUCK**…..I know I said it loud but who wouldn't.

I didn't go back to the kitchen right away to confront Gran.

I was in awe of all the pictures of Sookie on the wall. She was beautiful.

I fell I love with her all over again.

I moved along slowly and up the steps to inspect ALL of the pictures. I hadn't noticed that Pam, Gran and Alcide had moved in behind me until I turned around.

I saw tears in Gran's eyes and Pam was smiling.

Alcide was just grinning, it was then that I saw Gran had her arms held out to me and I folded into them…

All I could think of was WHY?

Why hadn't they said anything sooner?

Why hadn't they told me?

Why did they keep it a secret?

How long had they known?

** WHY?**

I knew I would get my answers but I needed to seek comfort first and that is exactly what I was doing.

Gran held me and told me to come sit with her on the couch and she would try to explain. But first she wanted Alcide to grab the portable and call his folks and put them on speaker phone.

"This was a family matter and Eric needed to hear everything from all of us. There would be no more secrets."

I was comforted by her words but I had so many questions.

As we heard Jack pick up the line and say hello, Gran asked him to get Sabrina on the line too. There was a reveal that needed to happen so that I could move on. It was but a moment and we were all listening on one phone or the other.

Gran said she would do most of the talking and once she got everything out I could ask questions if i needed to. She wanted us all on the same page.

She sighed a little and then gave me a hug and a big smile…

"_Where to begin_, I was sixteen years old when I met my Mitchell and it was love at first sight… Ohh sorry, that's not the story you wanted to hear is it?"

I grinned at Gran and said, "No, but maybe another time you can tell me about my grandfather. I would like to hear about him and the story behind the farmhouse."

"Anytime child, anytime, but for now we need to tell you about Eric and Sookie."

"It was about one year ago during her summer break that Sookie confided in me about the feelings she had for a boy she only saw but never properly met. How she talked to him at night during a walk and told him about her days and nights. That she sought comfort from him even though she knew he did not know of these talks. I thought it was sweet and told her it sounded like she met her soul mate but for now she was not ready to be with him or FATE would have knitted them together. Well the trial came and went… I met Jackson and Sabrina and we became friends. We never talked about you so we never connected the dots until the beginning of August… It was then that Jackson let me and Alcide know what his thoughts on the matter had been. He had connected the dots at the beginning of June when Sookie came home to Bon Temps to work for the summer; this is when he realized that Janice's Sookie was your Sookie. So in August we put our heads together. We tried to get you to come to Shreveport earlier. We tried to get Sookie to stay longer.. .But FATE didn't want you too together yet… You see if has only been 3 months or so that the cat has been out of the bag for all of us. It is now also open for Amelia and Tara too but they have sworn to keep their mouths shut. We feel it would be better for the two of you to figure this out on your own accidently… So the shock of miss opportunities can be quietly handled. We feel if we interfered that we would ruin both of your lives. We want you two together but we want the occurrence to happen naturally…. We want it to happen on the two of yous terms… We want you two to live your lives and have no regrets at miss acquaintances or opportunities. We don't think it's your time yet, child, you are so busy with work and Sookie is in her junior year of school. We want you two to live and accomplish your goals and to have fun. If that fun is without each other then it is meant to be. We thought of telling you but we knew you would think we were nuts. Do you understand why we did it this way?"

**Yes and No.**

"Gran, what I don't understand is why you all chose to keep it from Sookie. I can understand me, but why her. She is closer to all of you then I am?"

"Child, we choose not to tell her because of the Quinn thing. We wanted her to have happiness; we want her to find happiness on her own… We want her to find you on her own… We did not want to interfere. We thought and still do think it would be better for her to find out on her own. I have a feeling when she does find out she will keep it to herself… We figure that once she figures it out she will be embarrassed that it took her so long to realize the obvious... I believe that she will figure it out when she looks at her picture of you, the girls and Alcide. She has probably not looked at the picture closely and when she does she's going to be pissed at Janice for not saying anything, but pissed at herself for not realizing it sooner. But she knows the Herveaux's are very quiet about what Alcide does so she will respect that. I think she will keep it quiet and confront all of us at the same time. Let me ask you something do you still plan on doing the thank yous at the end episode? If you are, she will probably figure out that you guys know something depending on what you say?"

"Yes Gran we sent an email to our producer and she is in line with us to help us get it approved, she thinks it is a good idea. However we are keeping quiet to what each of us will say so everyone will be surprised. I would like for you to start watching the show just so you can see us on a weekly basis. "

"Child, I would love to watch it but I cannot, I do not have cable."

Alcide spoke up, "I will make sure that is taken care of before we go back to California."

We sat around for a couple of hours and spoke about the possibilities of our near misses and what they meant to all of us. How some were easier to see and gleam possibilities from and others that only Sookie and I would know about. We spoke of the trial and what it did to Sookie but everyone feels she came out stronger than when she started. We spoke about dating, I said, "I didn't want to" and Gran spoke up and said, "That we still needed to move on with life naturally. Experience life and enjoy… Sookie would not hold it against me to have a life as I should not hold it against her. When our time is here we will know it. Don't build regrets, if all you are doing is having friendships then that is what you have, but to make sure the other person knows that is all it is."

Cleo came rushing to the forefront of my head ….. I needed to make sure that was resolved when we got back home.

Pam thought it was a good move for us to visit as much as possible on the off chance that Sookie would be home.

Alcide thought it would be a good time to talk Angela into coming down to spend time with the family and to meet Sookie for herself even though she already has and then she can put her jealousies to the side.

Jack said that he thought it would be a good idea for Gran to come and visit every month just so Sookie sees that we are all getting along and if Gran happens to be at the house when she gets home for breaks then all the better. Plus Gran can tell Sookie about her new grandbabies and cushion the blow of who you are when she finally meets all of you.

** FUCK**

It was quiet for a moment and I didn't mean to say it out loud but I must have because I got slapped up the back of the head for it. **….FUCK….**

It just dawned on me I wrecked Sookie's car. I proceeded to tell them what I had just thought of and everyone was laughing.

Pam said I was so screwed but she would still take the blame for that one. She said if we ever became a SOLID couple then we could tell Sookie but until then she was good.

I also just realized My Sookie had a room next to mine at the Herveaux house, damn I could have went in there any number of times and probably figured out about Sookie on my home…. SHIT

We honestly lost track of time. We weren't scheming or anything we were just enjoying each other's company.

Until there was a knock on the door.

Gran knew if wasn't Jason because he would have let himself in. It was the sheriff, Bud Dearborn, he was told about strangers being in town and he tracked the truck down to Adele's. She invited him in and introduced him to all her grand babies and her son Jackson who was still on the phone.

He was shocked to say the least but once Gran explained how we had met and what we meant to her, he was okay with her ruse. However, when he found out we were actors and popular ones at that he decided he would have to keep a better eye out on Gran's property after we left just in case there were bad characters hanging round once they caught wind of where we stayed while in Bon Temps.

He told Gran she needed to start locking the doors now, so no-one could come in.

At least it wasn't just me that was trying to get her to lock the doors.

He also wanted to know if she still had her shotgun loaded with buckshot.

I laughed at that one. Alcide grinned and Pam being Pam asked her to teach her how to shoot. Gran told her they could have a lesson tomorrow in the morning when it was cooler.

After Bud got the information he came for we were again left alone again to enjoy each other's company.

It was then that I decided to tell Gran about all the upgrades that were going to happen at her home and I wanted no flap about it.

I told her that we were going out to lunch tomorrow at Merlotte's so that her Air conditioner/heating unit can be installed.

Her mouth was open but she didn't speak.

I then told her driveway was getting fixed by Calvin Norris and she was NOT to give him any lip about it. It was already arranged and Calvin would start it at the end of the week. The invoice was being sent to me and she was NOT to try and change any of the work order.

Alcide told her he wanted to get a few security spot lights up with motion sensors put up around the house. Better safe than sorry.

Jack said the boys could do that tomorrow while installing the air conditioner unit.

Pam said she was looking into a pool with a nice shade gazebo for her to lounge under and read her books. Gran started to complain but Pam shut her off with a look. She proceeded to tell Gran that she doesn't have any family left. The only family she has is who she was sitting with and on the other end of the phone. She said she needed to do this for her and she wanted no grief about it. She would do it for her family if she had any and the subject was closed.

Gran just looked dumbfounded and nodded okay to her.

The next one up was Sabrina. She wanted to update some of her old appliances and she would be out this weekend to go shopping for them with her... No question, No complaints would be taken. This was her doing for her elder and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Jack added to it that he wanted her to pick out colors to paint her house; inside and out. The farmhouse needed a new fresh look. We decided we could have a painting party this weekend while the girls went shopping for appliances. Gran said she would only agree if she could have Jason come over with JB and Hoyt to help out.

We all nodded yes that it would be a good idea for everyone around her getting use to the idea of her being spoiled.

Gran said it sounded more like a kept woman.

We all laughed; she will be the talk of the town now with her famous grandbabies when the word got out.

That lead to my last request or demand and _I KNEW _she was not going to be happy about this one. I had to be gentle on this but I wasn't going to take no for an answer. I would be proactive if I had to.

I turned to look her in the face and then started my rant.

I told her that I respected her as my grandmother and that wasn't going to change any time soon. Like Pam I didn't have any family either, (you could see she wanted to say bullshit but I continued), I have my step mom but she is a doctor and is well taken care of by my father's estate, she doesn't need my help; hell she doesn't even have to work but she does because she enjoys it. Hell for that matter I didn't have to work either but I did because I enjoyed it. So I was going to use my inheritance money to take care of her until she left us.

You could see Pam starting to cry and you could hear Sabrina sniffling.

I told her I was going to pay for all of her bills and the natural gas that she used. I didn't want her to have to worry about anything and if she would allow it I wanted to set up an allowance for her so she would never do without. I knew she lived on minimum income and I wanted to make sure her golden years were golden.

She nodded but said "she wasn't a kept woman and she was too old to give sexual favors for being a gold digger so she reckons she would have to allow her grandbabies to take care of her."

With that declaration we all laughed hysterically.

This woman was a HOOT.

I hugged her and then Pam and then Alcide.

It was Alcide who spoke next and said he felt left out with the gift giving. Hell what was the security lamps gonna cost him, $100.00 at the most. So it was then that he said that next week while the driveway was being done we would be going on a side trip to get her a new car and trade in her old station wagon. He didn't like the looks of it and she needed to be riding around in style.

She gasped but he continued and said that she was his number 1 girl and he needed to make sure she was taking care of and living the life of luxury... he knew should wouldn't want a Porsche or Audi but a good sensible car, maybe a smaller SUV for the back roads.

It was settled then with not too many complaints that Gran was going to be taking care of whether she liked it or not.

The week went on and we had a great time with Gran, country living is definitely different and we were enjoying it. Apparently the gossip hounds found out where we were but the town rallied and told them to leave, they didn't need to upset the status quo. I was beginning to really like this town.

The weekend came and the painting commenced. I think we wore more than the walls did but we had a great time. Jason brought by about six guys with him from the work crew and we finished the inside and started on the outside by late Saturday.

The girls got home and said the appliances would be delivered on Monday so we needed to make sure everything was cleaned out or disconnected by them. Sabrina had convinced her to get ALL new appliances so that meant we might have to repaint the kitchen if the appliances had different dimension then what was already there.

Jason said he would get with the pastor at church on where to deliver her old stuff since it was still in great shape.

Sabrina asked if it was okay if they stayed until after the delivery so that she could help with the set up…

Gran mentioned that she would have to build onto the farmhouse if her family kept coming to visit at the same time.

It was then that she saw the evil grin on Jackson and my face….. She knew she shouldn't have said anything then, but too late now.

Jason just looked at her and asked, "What up?"

"Jason, my wonderful grandbabies and son want to spoil me rotten… So they are having things done to the house without a complaint from me. Eric is making sure I am taken care of in my golden years without me having any wants or needs; plus having a new driveway installed. Pam is installing a pool in the backyard with a gazebo and Alcide is buying me a new car this week. When I mentioned about not have enough room for everyone there was an evil smirk on my boys faces; so I reckon they are trying to figure out how to put an addition onto the house so I have plenty more space when they give me GREAT GRANDBABIES."

Jason nodded at us and said he was grateful for us taking such good care of Gran, if he had the moeny he would help too.

We nodded yes and said HELL YEAH.

Even Pam said yes, she said her and Jason would make beautiful babies. LOL

Then it dawned on me what she said, great grandbabies…. None of us were married so I didn't know when that was going to happen.

Jackson said he would take care of the addition to the house and the pool could be installed at the same time as to not disrupt Gran's routine too much. The pool that Pam had picked out was gorgeous and half of it was covered by a screened in porch with a ceiling fan so that Gran could sit out there and read plus enjoy her pool. The screen portion over the pool was retractable so that when you were in the pool you were not hindered in any way. It was everything you could ever hope and wish for….

The days started to get here quicker than we wanted them to.

Sabrina ended up staying until the weekend so that she could help Gran with things around the house. Plus Gran had said that she had a little money tucked away she wanted to go mattress shopping and maybe look for a new couch. Well it didn't take long but she got her mattresses and a new bedroom set from Sabrina. The sofa wasn't purchased yet but I set up an account at the Broyhill furniture store in Minden for her to get whatever she wanted for the house and I would pay the bill… She said she would go out next week and see what she could find.

We were all spoiling her rotten and enjoying every damn minute of it.

We went out on Wednesday for her new SUV, she ended up getting a Ford Edge at the same dealership that Jackson got Sookie's car from.

Gran said she didn't need a new car but would settle on a newer used one. The Edge gave her room to carry plants and such in the back and leg room if we were all traveling with her. Plus it was in a nice cherry Red and she fell in love with it.

We all laughed at her but she said it was low enough to the ground where she wouldn't have trouble getting in and out of it. So once Alcide made arrangements to pay for it were off to head back to Bon Temps.

It was decided before we left that Gran would be donating her station wagon to the church, it was still drivable and with a little TLC it would make a family proud.

As we drove up the NEW driveway it was being towed away by the local mechanic.

The only comment Gran made about it was she was going to miss her old girl but the Edge drove real smooth on her NEW driveway, what a difference a level driveway makes.

We all chuckled because we knew she was truly happy.

I pulled Gran to the side on Friday night before we took her out to dinner, our final dinner; I let her know that I was only a phone call away and if she needed me to give me a call… I told her I was going to miss her very much and that I hoped beyond all hope that Sookie and I's paths would cross over the holidays. I would hold out until then, but after that I was going to rattle apart. She chuckled at me and told me again, if FATE knitted us together then it was meant to be but don't push it.

I told her to spend whatever she wanted to at the furniture store, money was not an option and if she found something else she wanted along with the couch to buy it, no hesitation.

She smiled at me and thanked me and said she was grateful that I was brought into her life. She told me that she would be proud to have me marry Sookie when the time was right and I would truly be a member of the Stackhouse clan.

I teared up and thanked her.

I wanted to make her proud of me.

We had a great last supper with Gran; Jason and Jackson even came along with us. We were one BIG happy family and you could tell from our banter. Jason and Pam were getting along so well that I figured those two would be burning up the phone lines after Pam went back to California.

I think if one was to suggest it down the line that the other would move to be nearer to the other one. I think Gran had seen the perfect match….

We said our goodbyes on Saturday afternoon with the promises of staying in touch as often as we could.

When we all woke on Sunday we knew why our hearts felt heavy. We were leaving our family and it was tough but Gran had told us that we had a job to do so we needed to go to California and do that job, we all had careers and we couldn't let them flounder because of her, she would never approve of it. Holidays and vacations were coming and she was only a phone call away, so stop hemming and hawing and get our butts out to California and make her proud.

She stole our hearts and I think we would be forever grateful.

When we arrived in California we all decided we needed to stay in one home for the time being and since mine was bigger, Pam and Alcide moved in. We didn't want to miss out on the family bond that we had grown to love and admire.

It felt right.

We let Gran know what we did and she giggled a little and told us we better buy a bigger place because we needed at least one more room in case she came out to visit. We knew she never would but we agreed that a bigger house was needed just in case someone did come to visit and we weren't tripping over each other.

So I sent out an email to the real estate agent that I used prior and told him about what I wanted and to look into it for me. He was excited to say the least. He found me two properties in less than a week.

Our meeting with the executives of the show went well and they agreed that the little thank you or saying at the end would be a great opportunity to speak out to our fans. They even liked the idea better because we wanted them to have the first episode.

Shooting started and we were busy until Christmas. We were all excited about our little declarations at the end of our episode and it was even better that we didn't tell each other what they were. It made us want to watch our own show.

I bought a new house but we hadn't moved into it yet. We figured after filming the show and before we needed to leave for our other jobs would be the perfect opportunity to move everything in, plus i owned the house we were in so no rush. I didnt know if i wanted to put it on the market or rent it.

The RAGS got a hold of the news about Pam moving in with me so Cleo had to back off. It wasn't romantic or nothing but it kept the crazies away. It was the perfect solution and Pam was the perfect date for any awards ceremonies we had to go to.

But the kicker to all of this was the shooting of the new season carried over to February so we only had a week break around Christmas. We never made it back for the holidays or the much needed vacation we all wanted and needed. All three of us were pissed, Pam was really missing Jason something fierce. I needed Sookie and Alcide just wanted calm, however, the three of us had movies and TV shows lined up to shoot so there was no rest for the weary.

I thought about Sookie often but I didn't think a weekend would be right for us. We needed more time, I was determined to win her over but I knew that a couple of days would never do, I needed a month or more, I just didn't know how that was going to play out since my year was full of work.

I didn't realized how busy I really was until Gran called me around June and told me I needed to give myself a break soon or I was going to have be hospitalized for exhaustion.

I lived for acting and the back to back movies were a godsend but it also kept me away from Sookie. I told Gran my next break was July, was there any way to get Sookie to the Herveaux's then. She told me they had been planning a birthday surprise for Sookie on the July 4th weekend; would it be possible to come home then?

I told her I would try.

I knew I was on location on a movie shoot in Canada but I was going to try and get home.

I needed to get home.

** I needed Sookie**.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

I just wanted to let you all know that my first Story, "OOHH for the Love of Zombies" was nominated for a Fangie Award.

I was nominated for "The Baby Jessica Award" which is an award given out to a first time writer/story. My story along with three others was nominated. Congratulations to the other nominees.

I am tickled pick about the nomination.

I have listed the links below in case you want to check it out if you already haven't. remove the spaces , add the . or sign

: /fangiegdocs and cast your vote here: : /eSurv. org?u=Fangies2013  
The Ballot will be closed for public voting on Tuesday 21st of April 2013. For any info contact us at thefangreaders

Thank you Hugs and Kisses, Kristie


	21. Pre-Junior School days

**Chapter 19 Pre-Junior School Days**

**SPOV **

Janice and I made record time back to LSU; she seemed really pissed at me; most of our drive was spent in silence. I didn't know what was up her butt; I just figured she was upset about leaving a week earlier than we should have for school. I tried to explain to her that I needed the extra week to get myself settled in and to psyche myself up for the new school year, it was our junior year and I heard it was going to be our toughest… Janice told me she understood the week before we left but when the day came for us to leave she was just being a bitch about it.

I was at a loss.

When we got to LSU we lucked out and got the very first parking spot and checked in with security. They told us our room assignments; they were the same as last year. However, we were told there was only two other students in the dorm and it would probably be best if we bunked together until the rest of the students showed up.

As we went upstairs I asked Janice if we were okay. She told me we were but she just had a lot on her mind and she wished we had stayed at the house for a few more days. If I had known what a ghost town our dorm was I would have probably agreed to stay at least three or four more days. But it was too late now to turn around and go back home (wasn't it?), we were already here and we would make the best out of it.

After we got all our boxes and suitcases upstairs we decided to bunk in Janice and Maria's room. I brought my suitcase in there so I would have clothes to change into but left all my boxes packed and on my bed in the room I would share with Claudine. There was no rush to unpack so I just left everything as it was.

Janice was still a bit off but I figured she would want some privacy later to call home so I would go the lounge and read a book…I knew I needed to call Gran too but since she was at the Herveaux's I figure Janice would take care of it. It was eerie quiet in the dorm, you heard every noise and groan from the building. It had me on high alert and I knew after the Quinn thing it was always good to be on alert…

Once it reached 5pm we decided it was time to go get a bite to eat, there was nothing open on the campus yet so we would have to run into town. Mr. H had given us BOTH extra money for food for the two weeks prior to everyone showing up; he figured we wouldn't find much at the school and would have to go into town a lot. Well he figured right and that money would come in handy but we had decided we needed to be frugal with it so we could maybe catch a movie or something since we would have so much spare time.

While in town we stopped at Walgreens and looked around, I was drawn to the Celebrity rags; I needed to see if there was an Eric sighting. I found in one of the magazines a picture of him getting on a plane flight with a blonde woman. You could only see her back but you could tell she had a great body… Oh well there wasn't much I could do about him dating so I figured I would let it slide.

Who was I to complain or get jealous? I was nothing to him.

We bought some supplies and then went to the grocery store a few blocks away. We figured we could buy a small cooler to store some orange juice and milk in and we wouldn't have to leave to go out for breakfast in the morning; we were going to buy pastries to eat but we figured cereal was a better buy… Like I said we were thinking frugally.

Janice said she was going to ask her dad later if it was okay if she used her emergency credit card to buy us a small refrigerator at Wal-Mart and then we could buy a few more perishable items to store in our dorm room.

When we got back to the dorm I helped Janice unpack her stuff. We were going to move onto my room but Janice asked me if it was okay if we held off till tomorrow so that she could call home. I told her of course tell everyone I said hello and that we made it safe. I know we should have called when we first got in but we were trying to make sure we made it back to the dorm before dark since there weren't that many people in the building and we wanted to play it safe. Plus we figured the parents would understand safety first.

As I got my book from my room, I overheard Janice ask her dad if Eric and Pam made it okay. I guess that was who was in the cab when we drove up. I didn't want to eavesdrop so I hurried to the lounge; I didn't sit on the couch instead I sat in the window sill and looked out at the stars.

I talked to Eric, I told him I missed him dearly and I hoped he was having a good time wherever he was. I told him I would have to talk to him while I was inside since it wasn't safe for me to walk outside at night yet since there weren't many people on campus. Yeah I was nervous, even though I knew all of the Quinn's were put away. I was still apprehensive about being alone.

As I sat there and looked out the window, I thought about my life and what was ahead of me. I knew I had school, I had two years left. I knew I had the Herveaux's, Gran and Jason as my family. I knew I had Eric to talk to but I was lonely. I decided then and there that if the girls asked me again to go out on a double date or to a party I would give it a try. Eric still had my heart he always would but I needed to live my life, who knew if we would ever meet up again.

The following day I woke up early and decided to let Janice sleep so I got up and went into my dorm room to put my stuff away.

I was putting my pictures on my night stand, day dreaming about Eric and what our life could be like; it was then that I noticed something I had never noticed before in the group shot.

I fucking knew the dark haired son of a bitch in the picture (sorry Mrs. H.). I had to look at it three times but I about shit my pants; there was Alcide Herveaux, my new brother…

I was going to kill him for not saying anything.

Wait did he know I had a picture of him.

Shit was the Eric that was at the Herveaux's house, my Eric….. No it couldn't be.

Dad would have said something to me, wouldn't he?

He knew after the trial I wanted to speak with Eric Northman.

Wait a second, What the FUCK.

Why didn't Janice say something about knowing Eric? Maybe she didn't know him but why did she ask Dad if he was there? But then again she wanted me to meet Alcide's friend two years ago, was that my Eric?

I knew the H's were private people about Alcide and what he did for a living, now I know why but I thought I was family why didn't they tell me?

I would have to ask, but when?

I didn't want to be rude, but I was furious.

I stewed for a few minutes and came to the realization that all people have secrets and theirs was a dozy and I would make sure I kept it for them…

Maybe if I was meant to meet Eric I would meet him through the H's.

Oh my god, Oh my god I was going to pass out.

What if, I was supposed to stay at the H's longer and Eric was coming to meet me?

What if, he knew I was there and I ruined it by leaving?

What it, I just screwed myself out of ever meeting him.

Maybe that's why Janice was so upset, she was trying to get me to stay but I was being highhanded and stubborn and made us leave early.

I could list the "What ifs" forever but it wasn't going to change the fact that I screwed up big time by being stubborn…

I sat for a while and thought about what I would do next and how I would confront everyone on the fact that they were hiding this from me.

Who was everyone?

Who all knew, did all of them know?

Were they whispering behind my back?

I couldn't think of any good reasons, but they were hiding it from me for some reason, I would just have to figure out why?

But if the opportunity arose I would confront the issue. I was hoping it would be Janice first, it would be easier but there were no guarantees of when and where.

I stewed for a little while before I finally got up and finished putting my things away. Stewing and pouting would not help me answer any of my questions. I considered calling Gran but I needed to think this over some more.

Why had it never occurred to me to really look at that picture and see Alcide?

_(Cause you were only looking at Eric)_

Hell, why didn't I ever notice how much Alcide from the show look like Jackson before I finally met him this summer. I was so stupid.

_(Cause you were only looking at Eric)_

I couldn't blame anyone else for this, I should have noticed the likeness months ago.

_(Cause you only had eyes for Eric)_

Cheese and Biscuits, I spoke to Angela on the phone; I spoke with Angela on the set, I should have connected the voice. … Stupid stupid stupid.  
_(Cause your thoughts were only on Eric)_

All the different moments of Déjà vu started to come rushing back to me. Wait, I just thought of something, WHAT IF, Eric hasn't connected us either.

Oh shit, I had a lot more to think about.

I needed to get my head on straight, I could think about this all I wanted but I knew I needed to come up with questions to ask, but logical ones that could be answered. But I also knew it might be a while before I was given full disclosure. I was patient but I didn't know if I was that patient.

I knew we were going to run out to Wal-Mart this morning so I needed to get out of my funk or Janice would question me on what was the matter. I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to bring t up but I was unsure of what her response would be. Maybe I could bring up the fact that I had decided to date and see what she said.

Yeah that sounded like a solid plan.

Mr. H had told Janice to buy a refrigerator for BOTH rooms. He was so sweet about it, but Janice told him if we did that then he would have to come up with a truck at the end of the school year, we would never fit everything in one of our cars. He said that we will cross that path when we get to it.

The trip to Wal-Mart went well. We talked about the house guests but nothing else was mentioned about it. I thought that was weird but Janice was still in a funky mood so I just dropped it. It was on the way back to the dorm that I mentioned my epiphany on dating; Janice just looked at me gobstopped.

She asked me if I was nuts. I told her that I was lonely and needed to get out more. I knew that school came first but if the opportunity arouse then I would go for it.

She asked me about Eric?

I told her that he didn't know I existed and if the RAGS were any indication he never would, he was dating someone and that wasn't me. She looked at me and I could see tears in her eyes so I just changed our line of thinking and asked her if she wanted to go to a movie in the afternoon and pick up dinner afterward.

My treat.

She said it sounded like a great idea.

The following two weeks went by pretty quickly. We read, watched TV, took long walks around the campus and slowly but surely students started to show up. It was after the second week that Maria and Claudine showed up so I moved my clothes into my own dorm room. Claudine was grateful for the refrigerator I purchased because her senior year was going to be tough on her and she could keep nibbles in the fridge for herself.

It was late Saturday night that Amelia and Tara showed up. They both looked like the cat that ate the canary but they would not budge on what was up. I didn't push it; they were already late getting into the dorm so I figured it wasn't worth the aggravation to find out what was up. Amelia could never keep secrets so I figured I would be told in less than a week's time.

Everyone got settled in and we were a week away from our first day back to classes. It was a Monday and most people were at work so we decided to go into town and spend the day milling around and window shopping. As per usual we went into Walgreens, as always I went to the RAG magazine but I didn't like what I saw.

On the front page was a huge story on Eric and some woman named Cleo, saying she was pregnant but he ran off with his costar to an undisclosed location. The picture was of Pam from the show. I was devastated and started to cry, Claudine found me crying and asked me what was wrong. I just showed her the magazine and she did a quiet humph and told me to give her the paper we were out of there. The girls saw my red swollen eyes but never asked me what was wrong. Claudine said she would tell them later, right now we needed to do something to cheer me up, so we went to Wal-Mart to get ice cream. Claudine knew I needed ice cream and chocolate so she bought us Moose Tracks, killing two birds with one ice cream; but what she hadn't expected was the RAG magazines at the checkout counter, **ALL** of them had Eric and Pam on the front page, but the one that was the worse was this Cleo person saying she wasn't pregnant just a false positive, but she wanted Eric back he needed to come home.

I was heartbroken; I knew I lost him now.

The girls all rallied around me and told me that I couldn't believe everything the RAGS said because they always lied. Tara chirped in and said she heard Pam was gay so why would Eric have run off with her? Tara and Amelia told me to chill my tits that we would come back next week to see if there was a SUPPOSED update on the situation maybe a response from Eric.

I could only hope but I wasn't sure anymore, I was starting to doubt him and myself.

I decided then and there that I wasn't going to ask my family about Eric and me. I would let them have their secret and I would keep it to myself that I found out. I would be devastated that I didn't share with them but I needed to protect my heart.

It was then that I had come to the realization that Eric and I may never come together as a couple. It just wasn't meant to be. I would have my memory, I would have my dreams and even my talks at night to him but I never felt I would have the true him in the flesh and bone…

It hurt to realize this but I needed to move on to become the person I was meant to be.

Was I just trying to fool myself?

YES

He was the Master of my Heart.


	22. Wonderlust School Days

**Author' Note:** Hello everyone, the previous chapter and this chapter were a bear to write. I know I will get a few of you whom are going to say, not in this lifetime, what direction are you headed in with Sookie, she is stupid, naïve and a basket case who needs to be put away but you have to keep in mind the following about our girl. People handle things differently and I think the way Sookie is handling things is from a young naive bubble induced world she grew up in. Besides we have to remember what she went through with Quinn and if you have ever been a victim of sexual or emotional abuse it can damage you psyche in unimaginable ways. She doesn't know how to be any other way. Sure she is a bit of a fan girl sometimes (we all are) when it comes to Eric but she has a deeper connection to him that she truly doesn't understand. So if she falls to pieces over it we need to think back to when we were growing up and had our first crushes or puppy love and what stupid things we did to make us feel better or get back at the one who spurned us. I am sure everyone is upset about the family and their accountability of not saying anything but sometimes its best to figure things out on your own and that is what I am focusing on in this story… Self awareness and self growth. MY Best Kristie

PS- I put a little lemon in here so don't kill me if you don't like it. It my first try.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**SPOV Wonderlust School days **

Well the weeks went by in a blur for me. I tried desperately to concentrate on school but I could only think of my loss. I knew he was never mine to lose but it felt the same. The girl's checked on a regular basis to see what the RAG magazines had to say. The reported back that there was nothing there but I knew better.

I decided to venture out on my own one afternoon and found what I was looking for. Right on the front page it said TV co-stars move in together and there was a picture of Eric and Pam. So right then and there I knew I had lost.

When I arrived back to the dorm it was Janice that found me crying. She asked me what was up and I told her what I saw but that I couldn't read the article. She told me I should have read the article, because it was two people that moved in with Eric Northman not just Pam... I told her to show me.

There lies the dig she already had the magazine; she went to her room and brought back the very magazine I saw. She told me that they were all checking for me on what was up with Eric and Pam… They didn't feel I needed to know that two cast members moved in with him. You couldn't see who the other person was but you could tell he was male.

Janice told me to stop fretting. There was still the off chance he was still available as much as I was.

She said besides I still have to introduce you to my brother's friend, so I needed to keep my options open. I told her I would and again told her that if a dating option came up I would do it. She chuckled and said will see about that.

The girls mentioned that they heard there was no planned Meet and Greets this year with the cast from "Blood Moon" so they found another option for us instead.

** SPEED DATING**

I full out bellied laughed, why on earth would we do that. The said for fun and it would kill an evening. Besides we might find the one, even Tara was willing to do it. So there we were sitting on a couch at the Hilton waiting to be led into the ballroom with the other 60 girls to try our hand at speed dating.

Well let me tell you, never again.

The men that show up to these things are off their rockers and skeeve. I shuttered when my first male approached me and it only got worse.

I was so thankful for the bell to ring. I couldn't take sitting there much longer.

We had fifteen minutes left before we would be ushered out to wait to see if anyone wanted to match up with us. I knew right then and there I didn't care if the girls found someone I was leaving even if I had to walk back to the dorm. Then my luck changed, not that I was interested in dating any of them but the next three guys were boring but entertaining it made that last few minutes go by quickly. Liam, just a big oaf of a guy with scary tattoos all over his neck, but he was trying to be sweet but it wasn't happening in fact I was a bit scared, he made me laugh at least. Then there was Malcolm, greased back hair, shirt unbuttoned to his belly button... I couldn't hear a thing he said all I could think of was the movie "Saturday Night Fever" when all the guys wore their shirts like that to be sexy. **NOT ** He was a blur but at least he knew he wasn't getting anywhere with me. Then came the piece of resistance, William Compton, yeah he had southern charm but what was up with his side burns, did he think he was in "Gone with the Wind" , he was so boring I almost fell asleep. All he could tell me about was his money and his boring computer job, Yuk I needed out of here fast. The bell rang and I excused myself and darted for the door, I didn't want the chance of being knocked over by the stamped of woman trying to get out of that room…

**WE** all looked at one another after we gathered at the couches again and burst out laughing, we didn't even communicate we all just grabbed each other's hands and went out the front door together.

No looking back.

Okay chalk one up to experience, never going to happen again.

It was back to my classes, they were not the easiest, junior year was going to be a tough one. I was warned but I loved every minute of it.

My next experience at dating was just before our Thanksgiving break, Claudine's brother came into town and she wanted me to give him a try. She thought we would be good for each other. Well let me tell you he was so full of himself and besides that he was GAY. He just agreed to the date because he wanted his sister to shut up. It's not like I didn't have fun, we both were checking out the males in the restaurant and Claude was giving me pointers on how to pick out a good one.

Well my mind slid back to the good one I had.

** ERIC**

I missed him terribly but I knew we were in different worlds but how were we to ever meet again.

Would the FATES help us out? Sigh

I let Claudine know that the date went okay but she really needed to speak to her brother because he preferred men to woman. She just shook her head and said figures and she promised she would never try to hook me up with anyone ever again.

I was grateful for at least one of my friends not trying to set me up with a relative again.

Well the holidays were fast approaching and school was going along fabulously. I had the feeling of wonderlust and I was enjoying every minute of it.

I was looking forward to the two breaks we had ahead of us and being with my family. I knew we would be at the H's for Thanksgiving and then half and half for Christmas but I didn't care I missed them all. It didn't even occur to me that the H's might have guests along with Gran, me and Jason; I just wanted to be home for a little while with everyone.

When Janice and I arrived at the H's for Thanksgiving there was a new SUV in the garage. I figured it was one of the friends that Dad always mentioned were always welcomed at their home.

It never occurred to me that Gran was sporting a new car.

As we walked in the kitchen we were greeted by hugs and kisses. Jason was even there, but he was on the phone talking to his new girlfriend.

I wonder when that happened.

I had so much to catch up on.

I heard Jason tell Pam that he would speak to her later and to tell Eric and Alcide that he said hello. He also said that it sucked that they couldn't get away for the holiday but there was always Christmas.

Now that perked my interest, who was this Pam, Eric and Alcide?

The ones connected to the Herveaux's?

I would have to find out soon. It was killing me…

Gran told us to get washed up and settled in so that we could have supper and then we would all sit in the living room to catch up. She had news to tell me and Janice.

It was a great dinner as always and we all gathered around the living room.

Gran smiled at us and told us she missed us but she wanted us to know what has been happening so if we happen to catch wind of it we would not be surprised or shocked.

"Well where do I start? Mitchell and I met when I was 16yrs old; it was love at first sight. We always knew after that we would be together forever."

I huffed.

"Gran, I have heard this story already…. Be serious please, what do you have to tell us?"

"Alright child, so serious, well you know that I stayed here an extra two weeks after you two left for school?"

We both nodded YES.

"Well I meet my new grandbabies then?"

**WHAT**

"Well here's the thing baby girl, I have taken to calling Jackson and Sabrina my son and daughter- in- law as well as taken to calling Alcide and Janice my grandbabies."

I nodded yes in understanding.

"Well, Alcide has two friends that come with him sometimes and after spending four weeks with them, I now call Pam and Eric my grandbabies too."

"Wait a minute what four weeks, you were here for only two?"

"Oh child, I will get to that in a minute. As the first two weeks started to dwindle down and it was time to go home I told everyone I considered them to be a part of my family, you know you can never have enough family, and I would be honored if I could call them my grandbabies. Well they both accepted since neither of them has family besides us here in this room. It was kismet for me. I cherish all of you. Well I was only gone for a day and Eric called me up and asked if they could come spend a week or two at my home with me before they went back home. They did and we had a great time. It was during this time that Jason met his new girlfriend Pam and they have been talking ever since. However, it was also during this time that Eric and Alcide and Pam and Jackson and Sabrina became highhanded with me. "

"It was glorious Sook, they wouldn't take NO for an answer; our Gran has sure met her match with all of them. I helped out where I could but it was mainly manual labor and some of the boys came over and helped out too."

I just sat there and stared, what they hell were they trying to say?

"Jason honey, every bit counts and if all you can do is manual labor then so be it. Besides once the addition is done I figure I will have great grandbabies from you and Pam."

**What**, well that got my attention!

"Oh child hush, let me explain. Between all of them, I now have a new driveway, new air conditioner, new SUV, new pool, new appliances, new mattress and freshly painted house inside and out."

"Gran I think you forgot something."

"No Jackson, I didn't, the new addition to the house is not complete yet, so I can't say I already have it. The rest is already there, finished, complete, installed and painted."

"Gran are you telling me you are a kept woman?"

"No child, I am being spoiled by my grandbabies and child. Eric was the ring leader and I just sat back and let it happen. It felt good to be so relaxed and not have to worry about anything. I usually wouldn't have allowed it but since I am getting up on my years and I was promised great grandbabies I was happy with the compromise."

"Wait, who is giving you great grandbabies? Is someone pregnant?"

"No child, not yet but I am hopeful. I now have six grandbabies and I am hoping that sooner than later there will be little pitter patter of feet on my wood floor."

"Gran I don't know what to say… I am grateful for what they did but I don't understand why."

It was Dad that spoke up, "Sookie we all love your Gran, she has become an intricate part of all of our lives and we felt that since we could afford it we would make sure she lived out her golden years in a carefree fashion. No worries and only relaxed time on her hands."

"But what will everyone think?"

"Child I don't care, from the moment my grandbabies and son set foot in Bon temps everyone was aware of who they are and what they were doing for me. As far as everyone is concerned Jackson and Sabrina have four children, two dark haired who look like their daddy and two light haired that look like their momma. From what they know I gave birth to Jackson before your daddy and gave him up for adoption. Nobody needs to know the truth it is none of their damn business."

Janice actually snickered. She shook her head and said sorry.

"But Gran you always told me to work hard for what I wanted and to take care of myself since I may not have anyone to fall back on."

"Yes child that's true but I had to rethink that argument. Eric is very persuasive."

"But Gran" I was cut off.

"Sookie, I accepted these gifts and I would like you to be accepting of them too. They have truly made my life easier. I am sure there will be more to follow but we will have to wait and see. For now while my grandbabies are away I have a reprieve but I know when they visit again I am sure they will be up to no good."

"Gran, How? Why? When?"

"Child, my new grandbabies will spend many months away from here but when they are here they will be able to enjoy a quiet life and spend time with me, Jackson and Sabrina. I look forward to their visits if even limited. As for how, we speak on the phone often. They tell me about their days and ask me for advice. They are never that far away just as you are not so far away in Baton Rouge. As for Why, we connected and I treated them as I do you and Jason and I grew to love them and vice versa. I think Pam is the worst off of the lot, she has been on her own since her teens years and the family foundation is keeping her grounded. Plus she met Jason through this and all is good there for now, sooner or later one of them will make the move to be with the other."

I faced Jason and he was smiling like the Cheshire cat. I never saw him so happy.

What the Hell.

"As for when, whenever they find the time; Alcide, Eric and Pam are very busy people and when the time is right they will visit or be with us permanently. Only time will tell and the FATES will knit our family into a whole."

"Okay for now, but I would really like to meet them. Will they be here for Thanksgiving? Christmas?"

Jason took this one, "Sook they are all too busy to make it home for the holiday but they are shooting for Christmas but that is even still up in the air. They will know more when it gets closer. I sure am hoping its Christmas or I am going to have to make a surprise visit out to where Pam lives. I miss her an awful lot."

"Okay I will table it for now but I really want to meet them or talk to them."

"Well hell Sook, you already know Alcide can't you take his word on them?"

What the hell was Jason hiding?

What did he know?

He can't keep a secret worth a hill of beans so I wonder what was up. I will think about it later, now I just wanted to spend time with my family.

On Thanksgiving the missing grandbabies called to say they wished they were here with us but work was getting in the way. They also let Gran and Jackson know that Christmas was looking like a big **NO GO.** I didn't talk to them but I was given a **HI** by all of them from Gran. The phone call was a bit off since there were hushed tones sometimes, but I figured Gran or Dad were given them back private answers. I never pushed it because privacy is a big issue with the Herveaux's and if Gran was giving advice I knew why there were hushed tones.

The next couple of days Janice and I hung out by the pool and talked about Gran's house. Janice had never seen the old farmhouse before all the changes so she was looking forward to seeing the finished product. I told her at Christmas we would make a run so she could check it out.

We went back up to school the following day and we were looking forward to the next break in three weeks time. This break would be a bit longer, we would be able to relax because when we got back in January we would have mid terms and I was not looking forward to them, at all.

I became a bit melancholy while thinking about my future.

I know we had our dorm family but I was really starting to miss my regular family. It got me to thinking about after graduation and where I would be living and how much I was going to miss the H's. I figured my invitation would be over then and I would just go back to Jason and Gran.

I started crying again and of course Janice found me once again.

I told her what was up and she assured me that the family dynamic was never going to change, that mom and dad loved the fact they had three more family members but the only difference was we had a different last name and that shouldn't matter to me because it didn't matter to them.

I wanted to tell her then and there that I knew about Alcide but I figured it was easier not to say anything. I didn't know how uncomfortable she would get about the matter.

I started speculating on whom Eric and Pam were and if they were my Eric and his co-star from the show; that maybe the guy I saw in that picture months ago was Alcide and nobody wanted to tell me. The guy was pretty big but it was a really grainy picture. I would have to wait until Christmas break and see if I could learn anything else from everyone, maybe sneak into Eric's room and check things out. I didn't want to be the man standing alone in left field about this whole thing but I didn't know how to ask anyone. I knew I could talk to Gran about it but if I was wrong and her Eric and Pam were someone else I would be breeching their privacy with her. I was an honorable person and did not want to do that besides I only had another week before we would be home again and then maybe I would glean some new information. Maybe Gran had pictures of her visit with the grandbabies and then I wouldn't have to ask anyone I would learn the truth by myself.

It sounded like my only sound option and I was going to stick to my plan.

A week later we told our dorm mates we would see them in three weeks. I was excited to be going home and maybe meeting the mysterious grandbabies. But when we arrived home Mom let us now that work got in the way once again and they wouldn't make it home until late January. I was upset but I had an alternate plan, I was going to sneak into Eric's room, maybe even Pam's. Hers would be easier to get into since it was on the third floor.

We were home for about three days and I got my chance to go into Pam's room.

NOTHING…. Absolutely NOTHING…..

I was highly disappointed but I still had Eric's room and I could try and do that now or hold off. I started for his room but got waylaid by Dad. He said he was looking for me to see if I wanted to run into town with him, Janice and Gran. I told him no I was good I wanted to take a nap, which I did want to do but after sneaking into Eric's room.

He kissed my forehead and said he would see me later.

I hated being sneaky but I knew it would be easier than being blatant about it, I wasn't a bold enough person just to walk in while everyone could catch me. I waited for the truck to leave and then made my way into his room. There really wasn't much in there. I found shorts, wife beaters, underwear, Chucks Taylors, swim trunks but nothing personal. I guess he hadn't had time to bring much in to leave behind.

**Well Hell**

Now what? I sat on the edge of his bed and wondered what my next move would be.

The bed was comfortable so I laid down and snuggled into the pillows.

They smelled wonderful; they smelled of a woodsy scent with a hint of the ocean in it. If this is what Eric smelt like in person I was a goner and would forget about my Eric for sure? I knew people told me I smelt like cherries and honey but I didn't smell it so I wondered if Eric knew what he smelt like. I pondered for a bit and closed my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep because it was few hours later that I woke up to Dad calling my name and finding me in Eric's bed curled up in a ball. I just smiled up at him and said hey with a smile on my face. It was then that I realized I was in the wrong room and Dad was smiling and shaking his head. I was a bit embarrassed, but I was embarrassed more by the fact that I had the most sensual dream about Eric and me in another man's bed and I was woken up by my dad. EEWWWW.

_ Flashback to Dream_

_It looked like I was on the set of "Blood Moon" and there was this huge bed covered in furs up against the back wall. _

_I made my way towards it._

_I looked around but no one was there so I climbed up in the middle of it hoping to take a nap. I was so tired and couldn't keep my eyes open. _

_I didn't' know whose bed this belongs to but I was grateful for it none the less. I started to move my head around on the pillow and stretch and that's when I felt like I was being stared at. I knew no one was in the room when I first arrived but I could feel someone hovering and watching. _

_I opened my eyes and looked up, it was Eric but it wasn't my Eric it was Bastian from the show, yeah it's who Eric plays on the show but this face above me had fangs and he was showing them to me, however for me he would always be my Eric. _

_I was nervous but I motioned for him to come closer, he wasn't touching me but I could still feel the pressure of his body on mine. I was in heaven._

_I reached up and gently placed my palm on his cheek; I slowly moved it down to his chin and caressed his face. _

_He sighed… they say on the show the fangs are a very sensual and intimate part of the vampire so I wanted to test the theory out. _

_I looked up at him and then moved my index figure to touch his fangs. I touched them every so lightly, but made sure to rub the fang slowly and softly front and back. _

_I felt a shiver resonate through his body and that's when I pulled him down to my chest, I needed the pressure from his body on me, I longed for it. _

_I released a breath I didn't think I was holding and sighed._

_I had never been this close to Eric and my ladies bit were on fire._

_I closed my eyes real quick and I heard him whisper…"Sookie look at me"…_

_I opened my eyes to see his beautiful blue eyes looking down on me with him resting his chest on mine but bracing himself with his hands._

_I guess he didn't want to crush me. But I needed the closeness I wanted him closer._

_He smiled at me and said he had been waiting for me for a very long time. _

_I smiled back and told him I wanted him for a very long time. _

_He smiled at me and called me, "MY Sookie". _

_It was nice to hear he wanted me too. _

_It was then that he asked permission with his eyes to move on with his touch. _

_All I could do was nod because I was in awe of this man. He was being gentle and sweet; nothing like I figured a vampire would be like. _

_As he messaged and kneaded my shoulder he caressed my neck with kisses, I felt his tongue and fangs on my pulse point. I pushed my neck up for him to bite me but he said, "NOT YET." _

_I knew I was blushing; sex with Quinn was nothing like this even the heavy petting that we did. It was always feral, animalistic but I liked this is it was very erotic to me. _

_As Eric kissed down my clavicle I felt his hands starting to message my breasts, it felt wonderful… I moved my hands and put one in his hair and the other one on his back. I figured if he could roam and play so could I. _

_He continued to feather kiss down my neck and his hands started to move farther south. _

_I was nervous but I wanted this, I wanted Eric however I could get him… I could feel his hand hit the top of my shorts; he applied a little bit of pressure by pushing his palm down on my mound… I was on fire and I didn't know if he could sense it or not. _

_I never felt like this before…. I never knew just petting could make me feel so good._

_I was lightheaded._

_I knew I was getting a tad wet but I was trying to keep it together._

_I could hear whimpering, it was coming from me. _

_It was then that Eric chose to kiss me. He took my lips between his teeth and sucked on them a long lingering moment and then I felt his tongue ask for entrance into my mouth. I opened my mouth a bit and his tongue was having a war with my mouth, his tongue was everywhere. _

_I was becoming dizzy to his touch, to his ministrations; I never wanted it to end._

_If ever there was a body on fire it was mine. _

_I wanted to explode and I wasn't even having intercourse._

_I could feel Eric moving his hand back up my body to my breasts and I didn't care as long as he was touching something._

_But it was then that I felt something else touching my mound. His manhood was rocking over my lady bits and it was out of this world. This man knew what he was doing. _

_Oh My God, he was huge. To say he had a gracious plenty I would be under estimating him. _

_I felt him pushing against my female parts harder and harder. If it felt this good without him being inside me I could only imagine what it would feel like with full penetration._

_I grabbed his ass and moaned again. He had a great ass._

_I pushed him closer. I needed him closer… _

_I then heard him growl and he nipped my chin and said, "He needed me." I looked into his eyes and saw lust, a shit load of lust and I was hoping he would see the same in mine. _

_I looked up at him and told him I needed him too and I didn't even realize I said it but it came out anyway. "I Love You Eric with all my heart."_

_He looked at me and smiled and said "I know, I Love you too Sookie."_

_It was then that he pressed a little harder on my mound and I exploded. _

_I don't know what caused me to do it but I latched onto his neck and bit down and tasted his blood as I exploded with my orgasm._

_I guess his release was escalating too; he sank his fangs into my neck and drank my blood, he rocked a little harder on my lady bits and exploded in his pants. _

_It was sensual, it was erotic. He was MINE._

_As I looked up into his face he was smirking and told me I was his girl and always would be no matter what happen between us._

_I closed my eyes real quick to take in his words but when I opened them again he was fading away. _

_He was telling me goodbye, until we meet again and to stay positive we would be meeting again. _

_I closed my eyes again but when I opened them back up Dad was standing over me trying to get me to wake up by saying my name softy._

_AH hell I was still in Eric's room._

_ End of dream_

I was embarrassed but Dad didn't push it. He just told me that dinner was ready and he would keep my secret of where he found me.

I was sooooo grateful.

It was two days before Christmas and Mom said she got an urgent phone call from Alcide late last night. They were trying to get a flight out Christmas Eve day so that they would be home for Christmas. They were able to book one seat but they needed three. The "Three Musketeers" were even trying to fly into another city and drive here. But not to get our hopes up in case it fell through. Jason spoke up and said that if it fell through he had a plane flight out to California for the day after Christmas so that he could spend some time with Pam. He knew she would be working during part of his two week vacation but he was okay with that. He had plenty of time saved up with the Perish.

Well Christmas came and went and no visitors. They couldn't pull it off so as a surprise Mom called Pam up Christmas day to tell her to be at the airport tomorrow at such and such a time and a package would be waiting for her at the Southwest ticket booth. She thought for sure Gran was shipping pies out to them but Pam said she wouldn't push to find out what it was.

We were all excited for Jason, he was going to see his girl and Gran was afraid he wasn't going to come home. She figured this was his chance to stay with Pam but he assured her that they weren't ready for that move yet. Plus she already lived with two other guys, why would she need a third.

Everyone laughed but me. I didn't understand what was going on but no one bothered to try and explain either. I was a bit upset but I figured I would pull Jason aside later and find out what he meant.

Well that moment never came but when Jason landed and met Pam at the ticket booth she screamed loud enough to get everyone's attention. Jason said there were flash bulbs going off for a good five minutes. Pam told him to keep his head down and she would get them out of there quickly. I wasn't sure why Pam was trying to get him out of the airport so quickly but I guess she had her reasons.

It was about a week later that Janice and I went to Walgreens once again, it was so we could pick up supplies for our return to LSU. As always I was drawn to the RAG magazines and I was shocked to see that Pam Ravenscroft was found cheating on Eric Northman. She apparently picked up her "Boy Toy" at the airport and she has been shacked up with him ever since his arrival. It was stated that Eric Northman was in Vegas at the time of this happening so he was unaware of her shenanigans.

Oh My God she is cheating on, she can't be. Eric must have broken up with her or something why would he put up with her cheating on him?

I knew I was a little on the naive side but never about something like this.

I showed the magazine to Janice and she chuckled. She said do you honestly think Eric would allow his girlfriend to shack up with someone in his own home. He would have kicked her out on her ass like that Dawn Green bitch.

I had to agree, something wasn't sitting right about this whole thing but I couldn't put my finger on it. I would figure it out later but keep my eye on the RAGS; they did have a little bit of truth to them.

It was a few days later and Jason came home before we left for school , he said he had a great time with Pam and they didn't have to leave the house to go swimming because Eric had a pool at the house and they could sun their selves naked if they wanted to no-one else was home.

I told him I was jealous of him for being able to get sun in the winter time.

As we left for school, Janice driving this time, Jason left for Bon Temps. Gran said she was going to stay for another week as they were trying to convince the grandbabies to come home for a at least a week before they were unable to get a break from their jobs... She said she didn't know if that was going to happen because their work load was picking up in the next week or so.

I wished her luck and we headed for school. I spoke with her a couple of weeks later and the only grandbaby she was able to get home for a couple of weeks was Pam. Pam ended staying in Bon Temps with her and Jason. I was happy for Jason he finally met someone that was a good match for him and she made him happy.

Now if only I could find that special one. I knew Gran told me to get on with my life and live it but I wanted Eric desperately in my life. I felt he was the one I should be with and waiting for. But I knew in my head that that might never happen. I am sure people would think I lost my rockers and needed to be put away for my talking's I did with Eric every day.

I was always curious about how he really felt. I knew he knew me as Miss Stackhouse from the trial but did he ever connect me to Sookie from the picture? Oh wait maybe he know me as Sookie from the picture and didn't connect me to Miss Stackhouse?

HMMM I wonder which it was.

Well mid-terms past by and we settled into our routines.

In just two more weeks "Blood Moon" would be starting its new season and I was stoked, so were the girls. I noticed lately that Tara and Amelia were always whispering with Janice but I figured it had to do with Amelia's drama in some way. She stayed away from me this year, I had heard through the grapevine (Tara) that she was having problems with Tray and was trying to work them out long distance. I was cool with that. He was good for her, he was always able to calm her down and pull her under control when she got a wild hair up her butt. I was hoping that they would be a couple after we graduated. Tray loved her a lot. But if she kept her BS flowing it was possible he would tell her adios. I would pray for her that it all worked out.

School was going by quickly and Claudine was getting more nervous by the minute, since she was graduating in three months time. She would already have a job when she graduated but she was still nervous about her grades.

We told her that "Blood Moon" was started in a week so she could lose herself in the show for one day a week and fantasize all she wanted to, we would be right there with her.

Sunday night was here and we were primed and ready for the show. There was more of a following in our now and we had more girls huddled in the lounge than the year before, so we told them the rules. If you are going to watch with us, everyone needs to be quiet while the show is on. We can talk after the show ends. Claudine piped in and said that she heard through a spoiler that there was going to be something in the credits for the fans so we needed to be quiet until it was completely over.

Well the first show came on and it started with Alcide's pack. The girls were swooning and Janice just rolled her eyes. I never noticed it before but she chuckled at their high jinx's. It was rather funny. But what got me the most were the comments when Eric came on the show. I was ticked off and Janice noticed and she took a hold of my hand and squeezed it. I knew I had no room to be jealous but I was and Janice knew it. She was a good friend.

Well at the end of the show there was a message from the Executives.

_Thank you to all the loyal fans._

_ We hope for your continued support of the show._

_ To another great year._

_ Break a Leg to the cast of BM_

Well that was nice; I wonder what the others would be like and what episode would Eric have his.

A few more weeks went by and while we were watching the show I let out a gasp… On the screen was a huge bed with furs on it. Just like the one in my dream… Oh my god… I had never seen that bed before, but there it was. Janice asked me if I was okay and I told her yes I would explain later.

I spoke to Janice later about the bed of furs and she was in shock that I had dreamed about it before I had ever seen it (Déjà Vu) but she was even more shocked at how sensual my dream was. Yeah I have fantasies about Eric all the time but never anything like the dream I had.

As the show season progressed we got into waiting for each episode to end so that we could see what the cast had to say, it was fun to see what each cast member had to say; we saw thank yous from Ginger, Jessica, Mark and tonight's episode was Sophie-Ann. It was really nice they were doing this for us and them. I was told that they messages would be a thank you to fans or a message to someone in particular it was up to the cast member. That was pretty cool. I wonder who thought of it.

It was April now and we were mid way through the season of Blood Moon but we also had spring break next week and it meant there were two episodes we could either watch as our group or watch at home with our loved ones. Well we chose unanimously to watch it as a group so that meant leaving on Monday instead of Saturday and coming back early enough the next Sunday so we wouldn't miss it.

**WE** were a bunch of fan girls, what can I say.

So here we were on episode six and I was so dreamy eyed over Eric parts in this episode that I almost missed Pam's Message.

I Read the following

_ The Cast & Crew would like to dedicate all of this year's Episodes to LIFE not DEATH._

_ To the "Three Musketeers", WE ROCK._

_ To Sookie, I'm sorry about your car._

_ Jason you are my heart._

Like I said I almost missed it.

But could Pam really be talking about Jason and me. I didn't see anyone looking at me when I gasped so I figured it wasn't me.

Because of the car comments I have to think on it.

Because of the "Three Musketeer" comment I have to think on it.

Jason went to California for Christmas, maybe it was the Pam and Eric that came to the H's house.

Cheese and Biscuits…..

I had to figure this out… I would look pretty damn stupid if I didn't have this figured out… I knew Alcide was one in the same but Pam and Eric I was still doubtful on.

Oh my lord what was I going to do.

What should I think?

Should I confide in Janice yet…. I didn't know what to do.

So instead of talking to anyone I just got up and went to my dorm room. NO one followed me so I looked out the window and talked to Eric…. I told him I was confused, I needed his guidance and then the next thing I knew it was morning, I had falling asleep.

But I can tell you I had a dream, not a sensual one, just one of us talking and I remember every damn word of it.

_ Flashback to dream_

"_Hello Sookie, how are you doing?"_

"_Oh Eric is this really you."_

"_Yes it's me." _

"_Why are you here? Now?"_

"_You needed me so I came to you, you are so confused and I can feel it."_

"_Can I ask you some questions?"_

"_Baby, you can ask me anything."_

_Ummm, this is harder than I thought. Here it goes…. _

"_Eric are you the same Eric that my Gran, Mom and Dad know?"_

"_Sookie, what do you think? What does your heart and your head tell you?"_

"_That you are the same."_

"_So then why are you being so stubborn and fighting what you know to be true and not asking about it?"_

"_I am afraid I am wrong and it will hurt me more to find out that I am wrong."_

"_Baby listen to me. You were hurt by Quinn; I am not Quinn, I am not the same type of person as him. We, me and you, may be apart because of distance but you mean a great deal to me. Will we ever meet, that I am uncertain of, but in my heart I know that FATE will knit us together. Even if we are just meant to meet quickly and then separate then that is what will happen."_

"_But Eric I want more than that."_

"_Oh sweet girl, I know you do and so do I but when we first meet it will be earth shattering but it might be short lived…. I know this in my head as well as my heart. I have my career and you have your school." _

"_But Eric I need you desperately."_

"_Baby be strong, we have so many years ahead of us. Why rush it. You are meant to finish school and start your career as a teacher; I will not stand in your way of your dreams. I am still meant to be an actor and right now I am so busy I never have much time for myself let alone a new relationship. For right now it is not time for us to be in a committed relationship. I know these words are hard but it is truth."_

"_I know I sound like I am whining and maybe I am but why can't we be in a relationship when we meet."_

"_Sookie, listen to my words I know it will be hard for you to understand, but listen to them. Can you do that for me please."_

"_Yes'_

"_I need you to live your life, I need you to dream and reach your goals. I need you to stretch out beyond your comfort zone and meet new people and if that means another man then so be it. I know it will not hurt you and me in the end but I do not want you sitting around pining away for me. Live, Love and Enjoy."_

"_But Eric"_

"_No buts my sweet girl….. You have permission to meet and date… as I am sure you know I will be doing the same but the relationships will not mean anything to me. This is a part of your growth process. You need this Sookie do not shelter yourself. Live. Enjoy and Love…"_

"_Eric you are confusing me more… In one breath you are telling me we will meet and in another you are telling me to find another."_

"_Sookie, I have met my fair share of women and I have dated my share too. I will not lie to you about this. But you on the other hand have only ever dated one man and I need you to experience more before we are truly together. It's my gift to you. Live and Enjoy…. Fulfill yourself … experience the world. You living life will not keep us from meeting or eventually being together. My world is a very complicated place; the life of an actor is under scrutiny all the time. I need you to go out there and experience life so that you will be better prepared for our life together. That might not happen for years but I know if you grow and enjoy your life you will be better suited for what is ahead." _

'_I understand but I am not happy about it."_

"_I see in your eyes there is something else, what is it baby?"_

"_UMMM do you think when we do meet that we can talk on the phone or text or email or something so that we don't lose one another?"_

"_I would like that; I think it can be arranged. Besides Gran and Jason already have all the phone number you need."_

"_I need to go Sookie; it's time for you to wake up for so you can head for Shreveport. Know that I love you and you are always in my thoughts and heart."_

"_I love you too, please don't leave me."_

"_I must baby, it's time but know that I am always with you as long as you wear the survivor necklace."_

"_I never take it off."_

"_I know, until next time."_

_ End of Dream_

I woke up feeling better about everything…. I knew deep down that everything would be all right. That Eric and Pam were my Eric and Jason's Pam. I knew that I had to wait until the family was all together to bring it up and to let them know that I knew. I just didn't know if I should bring it up during spring break or wait until school was over. I had the five hour trip home to make up my mid.

I was quiet when Janice came by my room to pick me up. She asked me if I was okay and I told her I had a lot on my mind, I asked her if she minded if I didn't talk to her much on the way home; I had some things to figure out. She said she was cool with it.

Janice was a lifesaver as far as allowing me to keep quiet for the five hour journey home. I was in a funk but a good funk and I figured out by about two or so hours in I would wait until we broke for the end of the school year to ask all my questions. Besides it would give me time to come up with a list of questions if I needed to. Plus I wanted both Gran and Jason there but I knew I wouldn't be seeing Jason this trip around. I also didn't want to end my school year on a sour note. After we got back I had a few more weeks before finals and I needed to do well on my finals. My grades weren't slacking but I wanted to finish off with a high grade point average.

Spring back went quickly; Gran only came up for a couple of days as she was preparing her home so that she could spend most of the summer at the Herveaux's. I truly didn't know what that meant but I knew I would find out soon enough.

We left early Sunday morning so we could get back in time for the show. Mom and Dad just laughed at us about why we needed to leave so early but a pact was a pact. We made it in plenty of time for the show and we had a great time with everyone. The message was from one of the other cast member but Isabel's message was pretty cool, she thanked her MOM for bringing her into this world.

We had another three weeks before finals so we had all cracked down on our down time. I had given some thought to talking to the family about what I figured out on my own but I didn't know how to bring it up so I figured I would play it by ear.

Claudine's graduation was awesome. She was so nervous but she graduated as Valedictorian I was so proud of her. Her family came to the graduation even Claude, he gave me a big hug and kiss and told me he would hang out with me anytime. I just laughed at him, he was too funny and not my type. We said our goodbyes as she cleaned out her part of the dorm room and security stopped by to let me know I would have a new dorm mate next year. I was nervous as to whom it was but Catherine came flying into the room a short time later to tell me she would be my dorm mate next year.

I was looking forward to it.

The final two weeks in my dorm room were quiet but I loved every minute of it. It helped me be able to study quietly without having to go to the library.

It was now the week of finals and I got another jolt from the current "Blood Moon" episode. I had already known about Alcide but it solidified everything in my mind about what was going on. I knew I had to talk to the family so I decided after the show was over I would call Gran and make arrangements to have her and Jason at the Herveaux's after I arrived there in one weeks time.

What Alcide said for his message:

_ Gran you introduced me to History and Literature. I introduced you to Blood Moon. _

_ Thank you for helping me to believe in True Love. You're still my number one girl._

_ Love You Alcide_

_ To Angela, You are my heart Alc._

I spoke with Gran and let her know that I needed to call a family meeting and I wanted to know how soon after Janice and I got back to the Herveaux's house that she thought her and Jason could come up to Shreveport. She told me Jason was planning on being there the third weekend of May since Pam was flying in to come visit for a month or so. I told her that was fine but I needed to make sure everyone was there. She told that was no problem since she needed to talk to me too.

Well that got me to thinking maybe she was going to get with me about the same thing… Maybe they all figured it was time to tell me what they knew.

If so then they could start the conversation and not me.

Well Friday came quickly and finals went well; I was very nervous because if I didn't do well on a couple of the finals I was pretty sure I would finish with C's in a couple of classes. I would have to wait and see when our grades were posted online. I was hoping for straight B's.

Dad drove up on Friday night and met with early Saturday morning; he came up with the truck to take our refrigerators back to the house. We didn't want them disappearing on us over the summer.

As usual Janice and I talked and sang on our way back to the house. We had a great time. We were about two hours into the drive when I told Janice I called a family meeting but it wouldn't take place until Jason and Gran could be there. She said that was cool… She heard Alcide and Pam would be there the last week of May so if it was okay they could be involved too.

I told her that was cool but I didn't know how much Pam would know about what I needed to talk to everyone about. I figured Alcide knew enough to participate.

All Janice said is you would be surprised.

We arrived at the house to a big lunch and a big hug from Mom. She was great. I couldn't remember a lot about my mom, she died when I was so young so Sabrina was a good fit for me and I was happy she was in my life and she wanted to be there.

Dad told us to go wash up he would unload the car for us. He was so sweet to do this for me/us, he also was a godsend to my life and I needed to let the Herveaux's know this when we had the family talk.

We relaxed the rest of the day and when we had supper that evening I let Mom and Dad know that I called a family meeting. It would happen after Jason and Gran got her the last week of May. They said not a problem that Alcide and Pam would be arriving on Sunday evening about 7pm, we could have it then. I asked her if it was okay if we waited until after 9pm so that we could watch the last episode of "Blood Moon."

She chuckled and said of course dear we wouldn't have it any other way. I told her thank you, plus I wanted to make sure if that was Eric's night to do his message I wouldn't miss it. There were only two shows left of the season so I had a fifty/fifty chance of which Sunday it was.

The two weeks went by quickly and the anticipation of Alcide and Pam's arrival was unbearable. I knew why I was nervous, but I couldn't figure out why everyone else was. It put me on edge. Eric's message seemed to be slated for the last episode, best for last and all that….. Or would his be next year… damn not a good thought to have right now.

They arrived about 8pm,it was Jason who picked them up so I couldn't even talk to him about everything before the family meeting.

As soon as they arrived Alcide gave me a big bear hug and kiss on the cheek.

Pam gave me a hug and said she was happy to finally meet me and now she knows what all the fuss was all about.

I wasn't too sure what that meant but Dad told everyone that they needed to get cleaned up, we were watching the last episode of "Blood Moon" at 9pm and then we were having a family meeting after it and everyone was requested to be there.

Everyone nodded yes and we all dispersed. It was like watching cockroaches run for the hills when you turn the light on at night.

I know ewww right.

The show was awesome, it left so many cliffhangers and need to knows but we would have to wait until next year to find out what would happen next. I saw Pam staring at me and it made me nervous but I averted my eyes back to the TV screen and there it was the message from Eric. I swear it was in slow motion so that I could read all of it. Or Dad hit pause so that I could read all it.

_ To Miss Stackhouse, _

_ on being a survivor and making IT._

_ EN _

_ Sookie _

_ You are in my dreams_

_ Eric_

I gasped and said very loud.

Oh my lord he doesn't know.

I heard Pam say, "He doesn't know what?"

But I ignored here as I went into deep thought. Know what was I suppose to do?

Well I couldn't dwell for long, it was meeting time. I was nervous and everyone was looking at me so I just blurted it out.

I know, I know everything.

I have known since last August and I am okay with you not telling me that Eric is my Eric and Jason's Pam is the show's Pam.

Quick like pulling off a band-aid I was spilling information out of my mouth…. For the next 20 minutes I told them everything I knew and when I figured it out and how I had suspected this or that but I put them into the back of my head, Déjà Vu was nerve racking to me at times.

But the one thing I needed to know did Eric know and if so for how long?

Well Dad was the one to talk. He told me that he was the one who figured everything out and one by one brought everyone one into the fold including Eric who also found out last August. He explained why they didn't tell me and their reasons behind it. They all wanted us together but they didn't want to interfere and make our relationship like an arranged marriage. I nodded my head that I understood but…

I told them all, I could be pissed at them for this and hold a grudge for the rest of my life or I can face the fact that I needed to stop being so naïve and grow up and that is exactly what I was doing from this point out. But if they ever did something like this again it would not go so well.

They all agreed that it would not happen again, full disclosure from then on out.

So that led Gran into what she wanted to talk about.

She said I was not allowed to work this summer I was taking it off and she was going to give me the money that I needed for the next school year of expenses.

I told her over my dead body and everyone laughed.

"Child, I have more than enough money to take care of you properly for once and you are going to allow me to do this. That is why I am going to be spending most of the summer here with you instead of us going back to Bon Temps. My house is still being renovated and I don't need to be there while it happens, Jackson's company is handling it and we would go look at it in July when it was finally finished."

I just looked at her and said, "But I have to let Sam know."

"Sook, I already told Sam you wouldn't be there this summer and he already made arrangements to fill your time with some of the other waitresses. He said he was proud of you for taking the time off."

"Gran, how can you afford it?'

"Well child, I get a hefty allowance every month and I just can't spend it alone."

"Gran, how are you getting and allowance."

I heard it all in unison from all of them.

** ERIC **

I was shocked and just nodded okay. Now what was I suppose to do? I felt like a kept woman.

Pam spoke up and said, "Well Sookie if you need helping spending Eric's money I can certainly help you with that."

I laughed at her and said that would not be happening.

The next few weeks were interesting to say the least; we spent a lot of time at the H's.

We went shopping for some new furniture for my room and the living room, Gran had held off until I had gotten home so that I could help pick it out since the house would be mine when she passed. She said she had already let Jason know that she wanted the house to be giving to me upon her death and she would leave a nice chunk of money for him so it would even out. He told her since he had our parent's home that it was all good for him… Plus he and Pam were adding some additions onto his house as well so he was good.

That's when it hit me. Jason and Pam were really a couple.

Damn, oh shit, last Christmas when I read the RAGS about Pam cheating on Eric it was actually Jason and Pam staying with Eric.

Was I stupid or what?

It was coming up to the end of June, Gran and Mom pulled me to the side to let me know they were planning something special for my birthday celebration.

Was there anyone I could think of that I wanted to attend? It would be happening at the Herveaux's, July 4th weekend.

I told them I would like Tara, Amelia, Holly from Bon Temps and Maria, Claudine and Catherine from LSU.

They said that was not a problem since they had already invited them and their beaus for the weekend. It might be a little packed at the house but everyone could double up if needed. They told me even Alcide's Angela was coming for the celebration.

I thanked them but I knew there was only one person I wanted there but I knew he was in Canada filming and couldn't be here. Sigh

That led to Gran gasping and saying, "oh child I forgot to tell you something and I don't want you to get mad at your friends but Amelia and Tara know about everyone, they have since last August. They happened upon Eric and me the day he brought me home and the day they went back to LSU for school. I made them swear not to tell you. Please don't be mad at them."

"Gran, I am not mad at them, it now makes sense why they had these big ass grins on their faces that day and why Amelia avoided me like the plague."

Seriously I was okay with it. So much had happened, I was beginning to see so many little things that I missed before and I should have caught on a long time ago. Stupid me.

Well it was the week of my birthday.

Pam never went back to California she planned to stay the summer with my brother. It was a surprise for him. She said they needed to know if they could make it as a long term couple and live together.

So far so good.

Alcide was excited that Angela showed up two days ago and everyone loved her. Once she noticed me it clicked for her where she knew me from and from then on out we were inseparable, plus she said I could wear my polka dot bikini again.

I was in heaven; Pam even told me that I could wear it for her anytime.

Everyone chuckled at her, but I think she was definitely serious about it. I knew Pam liked girls but she was with my brother and he was okay with it. So who am I to judge?

It was finally Saturday and everyone started to show up. Dad and Alcide kept disappearing at different intervals saying they needed to pick stuff up for later so who was I to make waves on what was going on. They wanted me to be surprised at all their doings that I just let it happen.

The only thing Alcide did ask me for was for me to wear my daisy dukes with my polka dot bikini. I thought it was an odd request but Angela told me to go for it, she was okay with his request.

So that's exactly what I was wearing for my party.

I went outside to greet my friends and they said they were all happy to be there. Tara and Amelia asked me if there were any hard feelings and I told them absolutely not, we were solid.

I was called back into the kitchen to help Gran and Mom. Janice and Pam were in there too, they were all up to something but I just couldn't figure out what. My back was turned to the kitchen door prepping a pickle tray so I didn't see who walked in.

That's when I heard it; a familiar male voice.

"Hello ladies"

They all said hello and I took a deep breath and turned around slowly.

It was Eric.

I knew I should not have done what I did next but it was pure reflex.

I squealed like a stuck pig and ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

His arms opened up immediately and wrapped around me like a warm blanket and I cried and laughed at the same time.

He was here, he was really here and he came for my birthday.

But for how long was he here for?

I breathed breathlessly, "Eric you're here?"

I heard back just as breathlessly, "Yes sweet girl I am here for you."

I kissed him on the cheek and we both blushed.

When I looked around everyone was out of the kitchen but us.

When did they leave?

Or for how long had we been standing there?

"Eric why are we alone?"

"Because I asked them to leave us alone if our greeting went well."

Hmmmm, in my mind I pumped my fist and said WOOT WOOT…

* * *

**Author's Note**: I know its long but imagine what it would have been like if I keep this chapter and the previous one together. I seriously considered breaking it down into three chapters but I figured what the hell two it is. Hope you enjoy it, KY


	23. Birthday Wishes

**Author Note: sorry I have had a little writer's block…. Bad week…. Funny I couldn't write a thing for IDCT or "Fifty" but I got a new story started "Tiger Eye Gym" hopefully I will have that one completely written before I start to post it…. Bear with me on my tardiness. Hugs Kristie**

**Funny thing is after I wrote the above note, I still had writer's block and then RL got in the way, I had a huge trade show for work, then I got really sick and was out of work for 9 days, I finally started feeling better and ended up having outpatient surgery. I now have an ulcer and I need to take better care of it and myself. I think the block is gone so I am hoping to catch up quickly… KY **

**Ha spoke too soon, still a little behind…I don't know how quickly chapters will be coming out but I will try my best to get something out weekly but no guarantees... **

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Disclaimer- I do not own the characters of the SVM world, I just take them out to play and give my own spin on their ALL human lives.

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**Chapter 21- Birthday Wishes**

**EPOV **

Do you have a mantra, do you say it out loud or do you keep it close to your heart, we all have one. Sometimes it is just to get through the day. Sometimes it is just to get through the long nights or months, so on and so on.

Mine was, "To always remember Sookie."

I know lame, don't yah think, but it works for me.

I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how to get back to Louisiana to see if there is any hope for the two of us getting together. I knew sooner or later our paths would cross but I wanted it to be sooner than later. I couldn't fathom finding out that Sookie found someone else to love, I was hoping she loved me as much as I know I loved her.

I know silly, off my rocker, I was pretty much dead on accurate with that assumption, huh; we never really met but there is something about her that has drawn me in and the love I feel for her is real. I know it is, it is why I can't keep a normal relationship going with anyone and I am always comparing them to what I think I could have with Sookie.

Back in August, Gran and everyone had said that they were trying to get us together but I feel like I have been sabotaging everything. My work load was an issue, it is not conducive to a relationship especially a new one.

Was I trying to wreck it before it ever happened?

I don't think so.

I mean I am an actor and I read for these movie roles ages ago and it just happens that the filming of these movies is one after the other. It keeps me busy, but am I missing out on what life has to offer. Like I said before I don't have to work, I have plenty of money in my trust fund; however I love to act and I love the work. I know it will possibly be in the next few years that I decide I have had enough and want to settle down but will Sookie wait that long?

I had a lot to figure out and I needed to make that decision soon.

I spoke with Gran and Pam about it and they both told me to hang in there, when the timing is right I will know it in my bones. Just like Pam knew with Jason, they are like two peas in a pod, they balance each other out.

Here it is June and I am feeling a pull towards Louisiana, I have had some awesome dreams lately. No they aren't always sex dreams, they are dreams where we talk and answer each other's questions. I am pretty sure the answers are pretty balls on accurate but I will have to wait to see when I get a chance to ask her directly.

There was one dream about a month ago; she was lying on the fur covered bed on the "Blood Moon" set.

It felt so real.

It was a very sensual dream.

Did we have sex, not really, we had a teenage dry humping experience and it was awesome. The only weird thing about it was I had real fangs and she didn't care. Like I said it was an awesome dream but I don't think she would ever let me bite her during sex. I could be wrong but that's not something you bring up on a first date let alone a tenth date.

I told Gran when I spoke to her last week I really needed to get a break soon I was so tired and needed to relax but I knew the filming of the movie was going to last until the end of July. I was hoping my character was going to be finished soon but there are never any guarantees on that. I let Gran know that I would try to make it back for Sookie's birthday celebration but I wasn't promising anything to anyone.

It was about a week later that I saw Pam on the set talking to the director and producer. I knew she was friends with them but I had no clue she was close enough to be on the set of a filming movie; it's usually a closed set. She didn't say hi to me or anything just a simple wave and left. I wonder what that was about, well I found out what it was about on June 26th. The producer called me to his trailer and told me if I was willing to work the next five days straight on my scenes I could wrap early and be in Louisiana by July 3rd.

Hell yeah I wanted to work my tail off to be able to leave and I told him so.

Pam that conniving bitch, she pulled whatever strings she had to get me out of here early.

What the hell did she promise OR better yet what dirt did she have on them… I would have to give her a call later and ask. Plus I needed to thank her.

I spoke with her a couple days later and told her the news about me coming home to Louisiana early. She asked me how much time would I have until I was needed elsewhere; I told her I wasn't needed anywhere until we resumed taping "Blood Moon" in September.

Well she was ecstatic, she yelled for Gran and Sabrina to come into her room so that she could tell them the news while I was on the other end of the phone.

I told them all that I was excited to be there for Sookie's birthday celebration even though it would be the day after her birthday. They all said they would keep it a secret from her and they thought it would be great surprise gift.

Pam let me know that Sookie figured everything out about whom they were and how long everyone had known. She said that Sookie was more upset with herself about not connecting the dots and such, then at any of them and that included me.

It was a relief, but I felt bad about the whole situation. I was elated that she finally knew.

I kept wondering what she thought about my message at the end of Episode 12.

I would have to ask her when we got a few moments.

I let Gran know that when I got there everyone needed to get Sookie in the house so I could greet her without interference from her family and friends. They agreed to my little ploy, they thought it would be an even better surprise. I asked them if all went well with the hellos could they all quietly leave us alone so that we could talk.

Mom said she would take care of it and she would have Jackson and Alcide guard the doors so that we were not bothered.

It was early Saturday morning when I finally woke up. I flew a red eye into LA the night before so that I could pack some stuff that I would need to wear during the summer in Louisiana. I learned the hard way it's humid there and clothes normally worn in California let alone Canada does not bode well in that weather. I was hoping to get a chance to go shopping for clothes to leave there so I wouldn't have to pack a bag at all for each visit.

I made it to my flight early, unnoticed by the paparazzi; I think they thought I was still in Canada so I was safe on my flight to Shreveport. I had gotten so use to being with Pam and Alcide on these long flights; I didn't know what to do with myself so I figured I needed to catch up on much needed sleep, so I did. The flight attendant said she would wake me as we got closer to Shreveport so that I could be up and out the door when it opened. She said she could tell I was excited to be going home to my family.

**If she only knew.**

Alcide was waiting at the baggage claim when I arrived downstairs.

There were no paparazzi so we were safe to greet each other with a man hug and a hello. He told me everything was set up at the house; it just needed my presence now.

As we drove up to the garage I heard a squeal from the pool area and saw Tara and Amelia waving at me like loons. I waved back and put a figure to my mouth so they would be quiet for my surprise for Sookie.

I walked into the house and Alcide stayed at the door so no one could enter. I dropped my bag off at the steps and continued into the kitchen where I knew the women were.

I smiled as I entered and said, _"Hello Ladies."_

It was a surreal moment when everyone said hello and Sookie stood there frozen for a moment working on her platter of pickles.

Her back was to me, her blond hair in a high ponytail on top of her head, short daisy duke blue jean shorts and a polka dot bikini top.

This must be the bikini Alcide had talked about, I knew when she turned around I would be a goner.

She slowly turned around and I saw her eyes go big, like a doe in headlights and a smile spread over her beautiful face.

She was glowing; she was squealing and running in my direction, all I could do was open up my arms and hope to hell she was running to me to jump into my arms and not to slap my face.

She jumped, I caught.

I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her close to me, she wrapped her legs around my waist. She was crying and laughing so I assumed it was all a happy reaction.

I heard her say breathlessly, "Eric you're here?"

I answered back just as breathlessly as her, "Yes sweet girl I am here for you."

She kissed me on the cheek it was sweet but I wanted so much more, but that could come later.

She asked me where everyone went because they had cleared out like I had asked, so I told her the truth.

"Because I asked them to leave us alone if our greeting went well."

She smiled up at me and went to go kiss my cheek again but I wanted more so I turned my face just a little bit and her lips landed on mine.

It was exquisite; I felt a jolt of electricity go through me when her lips hit mine.

I knew then that we were meant to be but I also knew we had logistics and such to work out. But we had time, no need to worry about that today.

I led Sookie into the living room and sat down on the couch with her. She wouldn't let me loose, I think she was scared that this was all a dream and if she woke up I would be gone.

I tried to reassure her that I was there and I would be here for two months.

She looked up at me and said softly, "We really have two months?"

I smiled at her and nodded my YES.

She was all smiles and then she blushed that deep red blush that I found so endearing.

I asked her what was up and all she said is, "all of this was surreal, with the dreams she had been having lately she was on overload."

I asked her about the dreams since I had been having a few of my own. She asked if we could wait on them since she was still coming to terms with me being there in the flesh and bone.

You know I knew this was going to be a joyous occasion for both of us but I don't know how I was ever going to leave her in two months time. It nagged at me while we sat on the couch and talked.

I think we stayed there for about two hours, just talking and holding hands. I know it was forward of me but I needed her closer her so I pulled her into my lap and she straddled me and that is where Alcide found us to let us know dinner was waiting on our attendance.

I told him to give us a minute and we would be out.

I looked into her beautiful blue eyes and told her that we have a lifetime to get to know one another and that these next two months were going to be just the start of something great. But we needed to get her out to her family and friends to celebrate her birthday.

She said she understood and she didn't want me to leave her side.

So for the rest of the night that is exactly what we did.

The night was coming to a close and everyone had a little too much to drink so Mom and Dad told everyone they were to stay, no DUI's tonight.

We would all double up if needed.

Of course Jason and Alcide said that they would take care of them and their girls. So Jason's room was free as was Angela's. That left two more rooms needed. I said I was willing to give up my room for a couch and Sookie surprised everyone by saying that I was welcome to stay in her room.

Gran laughed at her and just shook her head.

Then Janice offered to stay on the pullout in Gran's room.

So all of the needed rooms were found and it was like we were one HUGE family…..which led to the following statement by Jackson.

**NO Hanky Panky. **

I will be walking the halls tonight to make sure of it.

**WE** all laughed and said our good nights.

I was a bit leery of staying with Sookie but she said that it was just to sleep we weren't ready for the next step. I told her I would get changed in the bathroom and I would be right back.

When I got back Sookie was waiting in her PJ's, okay a cami shirt and boy shorts….

This was going to be a _LONG HARD_ night.

She asked me if it was okay if we snuggled and I told her sure.

I was not going to push my luck and push her away.

It felt glorious, wrapped around her. I knew I would be sporting wood in the morning but I didn't care. I was next to the woman I hoped would be in my life for a very LONGGGGGGGGG time.

It was so easy to fall asleep with her; it was like we had being doing this forever…. I woke up first; I needed to get my morning wood to calm down and brush my teeth so I made my way to the bathroom to take care of business. When I got back Sookie looked like she was having a nightmare, tossing and turning but once I climbed in and cuddled her again she settled down and I kissed her cheek.

It pays sometimes to be tall.

I started to doze again but I was woken with a start when I found Sookie had turned in my arms and was facing me with a brilliant smile on her face.

_God, that would never get OLD_.

She was stroking my cheek with the palm of her hand; it was just like in our dream…. I mimicked what I could remember and pushed her on her back. I hovered over her with my hands as my brace, so as not to put my weight on her but she had other ideas and pulled my ass end down to her core.

It was glorious but my hard on returned once again...

I let her know this was a bad idea and she shushed me. She kissed me tenderly and attacked my neck….

Ah hell, what was I suppose to do now.

I wanted this woman badly but if I remembered correctly we only dry humped in the sensual dream I had; so that is what I was going to try and do now. If I didn't scare her off from how big I felt through my boxers we could maybe take the next step at another time.

Like I said before we had a lot to discuss and two months to do it in.

Let me just say this, Sookie is a little minx and she had me cuming quickly in my shorts… I wasn't expecting anything like this… She had me all twisted up inside…. I knew she would be mine but I also knew there was no way in hell I could share her with anyone after yesterday and this morning.

I don't know what it was about her but I wanted to make sure that when our time to commit was there I wanted us both ready…. I knew of the obstacles we had ahead of us but I knew we could get by them together.

Our sex life could only get better from here, if this is what dry humping did to me; full penetration was going to kill me.

She looked up into my eyes and I smiled at her, her neck was a mess from all of my bite marks… I didn't mean to mark her like that but damn it, she was MINE….. I am sure Gran and Pam would have a field day with us, but I have a feeling my neck showed a few of the same bite marks as Sookie's did….. I knew we were both in our twenties but this little escapade made me feel seventeen years old again….

She said breathlessly, "Eric you need to get up, I have to pee."

We both laughed as she exited the room…

What was I going to do…. I knew we had two months to get to know one another better and two months to figure out our life's plan and I had two months to convince her not to date anyone else but me but would she go for the last part?

I sure hope so.

I didn't want to be the jealous boyfriend and I didn't want her to be the jealous girlfriend and if we were going to pull this off we had to set boundaries up…. That included talking to our friends and families so if we did something they didn't get suspicious and think we were cheating on the other.

Logistics was going to be our biggest disadvantage.

Sookie came back in the room while I was engaged in my thoughts.

I felt the bed shift and she was crawling up my legs and slowly sat on my upper legs; she made sure not to sit on my dick otherwise I don't think either one of us could control what would happen next … She weighed next to nothing so it didn't hurt me but she was afraid I was uncomfortable.

I looked at her and smiled, I asked her if she had concealer to hide our love bites….. She said her hair would cover hers unless she went swimming but then all bets were off since it wasn't water proof… We both just laughed and figured what the hell let them think what they wanted the marks would fade in time and we weren't going out anywhere for anyone to see anyway.

If we did concealer it is.

We both needed a shower but we didn't think it was a good idea to do it together, again not the right time or place…

I wanted that to be special and I was trying to figure out when and where.

So I opted to go first and I was met at the bathroom door by Alcide, he looked at my neck and just laughed and shook his head…. He could have said something smart ass but he kept it to himself. I am sure when the gang was together him, Pam, Jason and possibly Tara, JB, Amelia and Tray the ration of shit we would hear would be endless.

I heard last night the whole group would staying until Sunday night so this was going to be fun. Plus Janice's boyfriend Dell was coming over today… This was going be hell for him getting thrown into the lion's den with all of us here and I don't think he knew about the celebrity status of who was going to be here, maybe the attention would be drawn off Sookie and me.

Yeah, like that was going to happen.

I took a quick shower and went back to the room and told Sookie to hurry up it looked like everyone was starting to stir and she would have to wait if she didn't get it in gear.

She came back about ten minutes later and said she made it in time, since Angela was waiting outside the door for her to finish.

It probably would have made sense for all the girls to go in together but I didn't know how uncomfortable they all would be. I knew Pam wouldn't care and I am pretty sure Amelia was right there with her; but it was the more snobbish girls I worried about; Maria, Claudine and even Janice possibly Tara but I had a feeling she had seen them all before with the comment about them shopping for bathing suits last year and they were all in the same changing room together.

Oh how I would have like to been a fly on the wall for that one.

Sookie and I decided to go downstairs together, get the hickey comments out of the way from the parental units…. Gran was the first to notice when we both went for a cup of coffee.

She snickered and said if she knew that we were that hungry she would have served us upstairs.

That made us all laugh and the tension in the air was broken.

Jackson was laughing pretty hard at Gran's comment but made one on his own.

He said apparently his patrolling did not work very well if we both came out of our room with a new necklace.

Sabrina was a little more subtle, she said she knew she was missing her vacuum attachment so she would have to check Sookie's room for it later…

Damn these people, I couldn't help but snicker, they were my family and I loved each and every one of them.

Now just to wait for our friends and their comments; Round two was about to begin.

Everyone started to filter into the kitchen, the person to make the biggest stink was Alcide of course and then Pam. They came over in front of everyone, put their hand to our chins, simultaneously, and moved our heads from side to side and said "NICE."

Sookie and I just laughed and everyone else just started in after that. Once the barbs were done it was business as usual and a fun day was had by all.

I liked meeting Sookie's friends personally; once they got over the celebrity status it was friendly as usual. Claudine said she couldn't watch Sookie's back this year but she would keep in touch; Catherine offered to take that watch for her, as well as Maria… They weren't as stuffy as I thought they were.

I found out that Catherine was Quinn's first victim and I spoke with Sookie about getting Catherine her own survivor necklace, kind of like Sookie's but not the same, Sookie thought it would be a nice gesture.

Sookie wanted to give it to her when school started so we were going to take a field trip to Baton Rouge to find what we needed and have it special made if need be, we wanted it ready for the first day of school.

I lucked out with the jeweler already having something for me when I needed the one for Miss Stackhouse.

You know I can now chuckle at being so oblivious that these two special ladies were one in the same, all I could do was shake my head at the déjà vu's I was having but never connected them, stupid me.

I thought about going with Sookie for her first day back to school but it was something we would have to discuss later…. We had so many things we needed to talk about but I also wanted to make sure we were compatible. It would suck if we weren't, I knew we both loved one another but we had to be compatible or we would never make it.

The weeks started to fly by. But we got a lot accomplished and settled; we even found time for our first sexual encounter. It was very special and I think it cemented our relationship into the positive, now we just had to figure out life's obstacles.

Sookie and I spent all of our time together.

We ended up sleeping with each other most nights, just sleeping, she let me know about the one time she fell asleep in my room for a nap and that was when she had the fur covered bed dream and Jackson found her in there… I told her I had the same dream and that is what I was trying to duplicate our first morning together.

She smiled at me and told me she loved me.

That was all I needed to pick her up and spin her around. She made me extremely happy.

I told her when we ever got the chance I wanted her to meet my Mom in Sweden. I told her she would love my step-mom and my step-mom would love her.

We talked about what we needed to; we didn't hash it all out because we figured we would have to play it by ear. Our biggest fear was going to be the distance between us. Neither of us wanted it but there wasn't much we could do about it. I had my career in LA and she had her school in Baton Rouge. I didn't want her to give up her dreams and she said the same of me.

We knew there would come a time when that would have to change but for now we would be happy with what we had.

We had each other and it was a FANTASTIC feeling.

I keep thinking back to our first time when we finally mad love to one another. It was special and initiated by Sookie.

Sookie asked me if we could take a trip to Bon Temps so that she could get a couple of things she wanted to bring back to LSU with her this year. She said since she wouldn't be going home for the summer she needed to get down there soon to get what she needed.

I told her we could make a day out of it if she wanted to, but she said she would like to stay there for the weekend if it was okay with me. She wanted me to see the new additions to the house so that I could pick out my room and Gran would furnish it while I was gone.

I was okay with that and I told her we could just eat at Merlotte's or pick something up at the Piggley Wiggley in town.

She told me that was a deal plus she needed to say hello to Sam Merlotte and apologize for not being able to work for him…

I asked her what she meant and she told me that working at Merlotte's was how she had spending money for her school year. I told her I would help and she told me I already was.

She confused me by that.

She told me Gran forbade her to work this summer, Gran was giving her money from her account since there was plenty in there from her allowance. I had to chuckle, I pretty much forgot about that since I had the bank make an automatic transfer every month and I never saw it, but my accountant did.

I laughed with her about it, it was pretty funny.

So it was late Friday afternoon when we decided to leave for Bon Temps and stay till Sunday night.

Gran told Sookie if we saw Bud to let him know she wouldn't be back till September and if he could take a run out to the farmhouse every so often she would be grateful… Besides Jason was checking on it too but since Pam had gone home with him, his nights were pretty much taken up.

We got out there late and I was glad for once that Sookie was driving. I would have missed the turn off. I told Sookie we needed to rectify the problem about the driveway being hidden….She said most people knew of it and once the paparazzi caught wind of our relationship they would find Gran easier and she didn't want that to happen... She had a good point, always thinking ahead, so I asked her if we put a reflector of some sort at the beginning of the driveway then Alcide and I could find it easier at night.

She said that was doable.

As we got to the farmhouse; I chuckled at an idea and went for it. As she exited the car I picked Sookie up bridal style and carried her up the steps and over the threshold like newlyweds.

Honey, were home.

Well let me tell you. By that time she latched onto my lips, she put her hand to my waste and was undoing my cargo pants, they dropped to the floor. I looked at her and she nodded, so I stepped out of them and I lowered her so that I could take my shirt off. I just dropped it to the floor.

I watched her in awe as she slowly stripped her clothes off in front of me. Each piece was thrown in my direction after it left her body.

We didn't have music for her to strip to but I sure as hell heard it in my head.

She ran told the stars and I followed. I knew what was going to happen and I was looking forward to the chase, however I realized as we got to the bedroom door I didn't have any condoms. I stopped my approach and told her as much.

She got an evil grin on her face and reached into her night stand. She pulled out a box of magnum condoms and threw it at me. Attached was a note.

**Good luck and have fun.**

**Pam**

Got to love her…. Wait a minute Sookie had this planned, the little minx.

I wanted our first time to be special and I let Sookie know that. I didn't want to rush anything.

Sookie's response, "Eric honey we have all weekend and a huge box of condoms."

As I entered the room I was in awe of the woman standing before me totally naked.

I slowly removed my underwear and approached my blond bombshell. She wore the biggest smile and did not look at all like she was scared at what I found out later she called my gracious plenty. I was not little in the cock department and I knew the woman in my past were fearful of it and couldn't handle the whole thing. If Sookie was unable to take all of me in I would be okay with that, we would make do with what she could.

I loved this woman more and more every day and it hurt to know that we would soon be apart for an undetermined amount of time.

I picked her up again and laid her down on the bed and situated myself beside her. I moved her hair out of her face and palmed her cheek; she leaned into my palm and smiled. I wanted so many things with this woman and I was clueless on where to begin.

It was Sookie who spoke next and said she was a little nervous and I told her I was too. She giggled at that and said she was ready to start the next chapter in our lives and if we could get through our first time that the times after it would be a piece of cake.

I smiled at her and told her I was looking forward to the rest of our lives.

No-one knew we were there so I didn't figure there would be any interruptions but I was wrong. Just as I leaned over to kiss her neck there was a knock on the front door.

We both looked at each other and laughed.

Sookie grabbed some shorts and a shirt and threw them on. She ran down the steps and got to the door, the person on the other side started pounding again.

Damn they were persistent.

I heard her answer the door; "Hello, how can I help you."

I did not hear the other person's response but I could hear Sookie again.

"No this is my Gran's home and she is not here at the moment."

Again I couldn't hear what was being said, it started to annoy me. I thought about going downstairs with a towel wrapped around me when out came the next line.

"I was upstairs with my **husband **and I came down to answer the door."

Husband?

Who the hell was down there? I would have to ask her when she came back upstairs.

"Yes we will be here all weekend."

"Oh that's okay, nice meeting you too."

And then I heard the door shut but I also heard her lock the door, good girl.

She ran up the stairs and as she came into the room she was stripping her clothes off again.

"Where were we?"

"Sookie, who was at the door?"

"Oh, sorry the creepy neighbor from next door, William Compton… I didn't like the way he was looking at me so I called you my husband. Sorry about that but it just came out."

"No problems here, I like the sound of it, but will he tell anyone what you said?"

"I doubt it, no one likes him much and he usually isn't here long enough for anyone to notice, he has property in Shreveport with his wife Lorena. They are both snooty busy bodies. He just creeps me out."

I pulled her to me and said, "That's okay we will deal with it later if we have to."

"**Wife,** we have such a long night ahead of us. Are you ready?'

She smiled at me and leaned in and kissed me with all the passion I had ever felt from anyone. I returned as much as she gave; it was glorious.

We made out like teenagers for hours. There was petting involved but never full on intercourse, we had plenty of time for that.

As the night wore on we went from kissing to petting to oral sex. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that I knew we were both ready for our first time.

I asked Sookie if she was ready, she said that she thought that the only thing that would make this night more perfect for us is to finally make love to one another.

I agreed whole heartedly. We knew we loved one another and nothing is better than sensual love making; I knew I was lost, I had never experience such true bliss in all of my sexual life.

I have had great sex in the past but never have I felt the emotion and passion that I was felling as I was balls deep in Sookie. She was so tiny and I thought I would hurt her but in actuality she was made perfectly for me. We molded into the perfect fit and I fit ALL OF ME into her.

I might have been cervix deep but everything felt glorious.

We made sure I wore a condom even though I knew I was clean and she hadn't been with anyone in over two years but we wanted to be safe.

I didn't want an unexpected pregnancy since she still had a year of school left.

It was a decision made by both of us. I knew one day I would have condom free sex with her but for now we would deal.

I have never been one for repeated ejaculations in my life; I could usually go two times at the most in one night, hell I wasn't a supernatural being who would had unlimited strength and stamina . But here with Sookie we were both energized with (I don't know what to call it) an unlimited wealth of orgasms… Like we had both been saving them up like fireflies in a jar.

It was a fucking awesome night and we still had two days left before we headed back to Shreveport. Our time was not limited so we could have stayed longer in Bon Temps if we wanted to.

We finally fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning and around noon time I was woke up once again with pounding on the front door. This time I let Sookie sleep in and I went to the door, only wrapped in a towel.

I opened the door to a man about 5'10" tall with dark brown hair and long side burns, what the fuck did he think he was in the movie, Gone with the Wind?

"Hello, can I help you?"

Then it dawned on me before he answered this was the creepy fucker from next door.

"I need to speak with Adele Stackhouse please?"

"Sorry she is not here but I am pretty sure my wife told you that last night."

"Yes, she did. But I need to talk to Adele. I have noticed all of the remodeling and additions on the Stackhouse home and wanted to know if Ms. Stackhouse intended on selling it once she was done? I want to add on to my property on the other side of the cemetery and I would like to purchase the property and all of her acreage."

Was this fucker for real?

"First off Mr. Compton, Adele and none of the other Stackhouse's intend to sell the Stackhouse property, EVER. If Adele does decide to sell it because she needs money she would sell it to me first before anyone else. I don't know what your end game is here but I want you off the property now before I call Bud Dearborn and have him kick you off."

"Sir, do not make idle threats to me. I am a Compton and I have money to back me up. I can have this property just by going into town and calling in on all the Stackhouse's debt and taxes. You do not know who you are messing with."

What an arrogant FUCK.

I had it at this point because I know I was yelling, I was probably waking the dead but I didn't care.

I stepped out on the porch and glared down at this little fucker and said,

"You arrogant fuckstain, you have no clue who you are dealing with and as far as money is concerned I probably have much more than you, so back the fuck off. I don't know where you get off with your high faluten attitude but it is not welcome here. If you dare go after any of the Stackhouse's about anything you will face me, one on one and you WILL LOOSE. I can guarantee that."

The look on his face was priceless.

"Sir, I don't know who you think you might be but I have wealth and power on my side and I will have this homestead, you can guarantee that."

"Is that a challenge?"

Right about that time I looked up and smiled, here comes Bud Dearborn in his sheriff's car down our driveway. I must have woken Sookie up and she called him. Not two seconds later Sookie joined us on the porch.

"Hello Bud, what brings you out to our fine home?"

"Eric, Sookie, Oh Adele called me last night and asked me to check up on you two love birds, she wanted to make sure you came up for air. Plus she wanted to give me the Herveaux's phone number in case I needed to reach her if there was a problem out here."

When that name was mentioned, Mr. Compton gave me an odd look. It looked like he was going to shit in his pants.

"Bud, we are doing just fine. Mr. Compton and I were having a discussion about Adele selling this house to him. It was not going in his favor apparently so he was threatening me about calling in Gran's debts and taxes."

"Eric what are you talking about, you paid for the taxes for the next year already and you paid off her mortgage. He has nothing to leverage that challenge with."

"Exactly, that was what I was trying to tell him in my own words."

Well if the fuckstain could of shit his drawers this would be the perfect opportunity.

"Mr. Compton, I will ask you once again to leave our property and stay off of it. Bud would you like to come in; I need to go over a couple of things with you?"

"Sure, but could you put some clothes on please."

Compton turned around and huffed off towards the cemetery with a deflated attitude.

Douche bag.

I smiled at Bud and told him to give me a minute.

Funny part was when I walked back in the living room I saw my shorts and picked them up off the floor where they were dropped last night, I proceeded to the bathroom but heard Bud snicker and tell Sookie she was lucky it was him that was there and not Gran.

I heard her giggle.

I was back momentarily and found Sookie and Bud sitting in the remodeled kitchen. Sookie was looking at everything in awe since all the appliances were brand new along with a fresh paint job and new curtains. Only thing Gran kept was the old family wooden kitchen table that one of the Stackhouse's made with their bare hands.

She smiled at me and said, "Nicely done."

I had nothing to do with it. It was Gran, Sabrina and Pam; I was just the money behind the facelift. Well not in that room anyway, that was all Sabrina.

I was a bit nervous but I jumped in to let Bud know what transpired with Compton and what Gran had asked him to do for her.

"Bud, we have a little problem… Its minor but it might bite us in the butt. UMMM, Sookie and I both told Compton we were married and we don't know if that will get around town. It was fast thinking on her part last night when Compton first came over here and was creeping her out, but just a few minutes ago I just called her my wife and then you showed up. I fought with him about not selling the property and I don't know what kind of issues he will cause for Gran once I am gone. Before you ask, no we are not married, **YET,** that is years away but we all know how this town loves to gossip and I don't want to cause any problems specifically since everyone thinks I am Gran's grandbaby. I know if the paparazzi catch wind of my nuptials, Sookie's life will be hell once they find her. Plus Gran wanted us to tell you to please watch the house since she would not be back until September sometime."

Bud just looked at us both and laughed.

He shook his head and said, "That fool won't tell anyone except his wife. I have a feeling he thinks you are a Herveaux and from what I know about that family there is plenty of old money and power there so he may just drop it. He might not put two and two together but since I backed you up about paying off her mortgage and such he may leave Adele alone. But I will keep an eye out, plus I am sure Jason will be by and if I let Andy know he will ride by too. You have no worries from the town, we may love to gossip but we appreciate that you and the Herveaux's are taking care of Adele and fixed up this old place."

Thank You.

Bud said he needed to get and both of us were hungry so we figured a quick shower and then we would run over to Merlotte's and up to the Piggley Wiggley to get a few supplies.

Well the quick shower never happened and we will have to replace the shower curtain, we were having too much fun showering together… I told Sookie maybe the next thing that needs to get remodeled at the farmhouse is the two original bathrooms. I knew the addition Jackson put on had a large bathroom to accommodate the additional four rooms so I knew the next move would be to update what was still old. I could have fun enlarging these rooms.

As we stepped out of the shower I turned to Sookie and looked at her in horror as I realized we didn't use a condom. I think it dawned on her at the same time.

"Honey, it will be okay… I have been on birth control since I was a teenager to regulate my menstrual cycle.

But it felt AWESOME without it…. We will just have to be more careful but I think we will be fine."

It did feel awesome but I was still worried.

Once we were ready we headed to Merlotte's. Sookie said hello to everyone she knew and went in to the back to talk to Sam. I sat in a booth by the window and waited for her to come back but was interrupted by a group of teenage girls who came over and stood in front of me. They asked me if I was Eric Northman from 'Blood Moon' and I said yes I was.

Well the squeal was deafening.

By that time Sookie had come back out front she was smiling from ear to ear and slid in next to me.

One of the girls recognized Sookie and said hello to her; Sam ended up sitting down on the other side of the booth from us. I had been introduced to him before but this time it felt off. I would have to ask Sookie if she and Sam ever dated because I was getting a death glare from this man.

The girl that knew Sookie name was Crystal and she asked Sookie if we were a couple and Sookie told her yes we were. Well it was official; the word would get out now to TMZ or something. No pictures were taken but verbal word was good enough for them….

You know I was okay with it, but I just didn't want Sookie's life turned upside down at school. But I knew I would want to visit Sookie at LSU so it was only a matter of time before everyone pieced us together. Plus I knew if she would allow me to be there I wanted to be her guest for graduation. I knew Alcide said he wanted to go for Janice and Pam said she wanted to go for all of the girls, she became close to the girls in a short period of time she spent with them at the H's plus if her and Jason became a signed sealed and delivered couple with marriage vows she would already have friends in Bon Temps and not feel so lonely.

Life was good for all of us.

The rest of our dinner went without a hitch…. We ate and talked and had a good time when some of the guys I met through Jason stopped at the table and said hello. They were a little surprised Sookie and I were a couple since they thought I was actually related to Gran. Sookie explained to them in simple terms that Gran called me her grandbaby but I was not related by blood. They said they understood because Adele had always treated them as she treated Jason and Sookie, like grandbabies.

We headed to the Piggley Wiggley next and Sookie wanted to check out the RAGS to see what I was up to.

Apparently I was still in Canada and having a torrid affair with one of my married cast mates. We both laughed at it since the picture was time stamped as last week when we were both at the Herveaux's… damn these people were idiots. I told Sookie that if she saw anything that bothered her in the RAG magazines to please ask me before she gets upset about it.

That while I am away from her I will let her know if I am going to have a date on my arm for anything. I told her I wanted it to be her but it would probably be Pam or Isabel. I told her once we got back to the house I would explain Isabel and who she was.

She agreed that the supermarket was not an appropriate venue to talk about it. We did a little more shopping and I was accosted by Maxine once again. She threw the magazine in my face and told me it was wrong to cheat with a married woman. Sookie laughed at her and told her the magazine was all wrong but of course Maxine would have none of that. It took Sookie a few minutes to make Maxine believe that the RAG was wrong and I was in Shreveport for the past three weeks with Gran. Once Gran's name was mentioned she backed off because apparently Adele Stackhouse would never lie.

I chuckled as we left the store and we were waved at by people walking around the center of town.

It felt like HOME.

After we got back to the house I told Sookie we needed to sit down and talk about some things that we have glazed over in the past that I felt it was time to discuss.

She arched her eyebrow and asked what did I mean by glazed over?

I asked her if we could talk while we made dinner and discussed things at the kitchen table and then once we were done with dinner and cleanup we could move into the living room.

I didn't want to talk about anything of this caliber in the bedroom. I was always told not to argue in the room you are going to sleep in because it will give your relationship bad vibes for the night. If you go to sleep angry and mad, you wake up the same way and that is not conducive to a sound relationship….

She agreed.

Okay where to start.

I asked if she heard of Isabel Beaumont.

She said yes she was an actor on "Blood Moon" and Alcide had said in the past that you all were friends.

I told Sookie yes her and I were friends and if I needed a date to a premiere or awards ceremony she was one of my to go to people. We did not have any kind of chemistry except on the screen; we were like sister and brother and that's as far as the relationship had ever went.

Sookie just smiled and said she got it. It was like how she felt about Alcide. He was a gorgeous hot man but he was her brother in every way except by blood.

I let her know that if she saw pictures of us holding hands or a peck on the cheek it did not mean we were involved it was just a friendly relationship for the paparazzi's benefit.

She said she understood but she didn't really like it.

I told her I would either go to these things with Pam or with Isabel, non-one else. If there was a picture or situation she thought was odd or wrong to get a hold of me and we would talk about it.

Do not jump to conclusions.

I told her there would always be gossip about me. I tried to stay private but sometime things leaked out. I was stalked while I got gas, bought groceries and had lunch with my friends. I told her if she had questions about how bad it got to speak with Angela because it was one of her many demons she had about her and Alcide relationship.

She said she would try her best not to let it get to her. She told me about an article she saw a year back and she was devastated that I could forget about her so quickly. Even though she had no right to those feeling she still had them, we were just acquaintances. It was Janice that told her it meant nothing and so she went on, but it hurt her and she never forgot it.

I knew what article it was and I was pissed at Cleo for it. I told her it was all lies and Cleo wanted me back but she never had me to begin with.

We then talked about commitment. This was going to be tough one because of the miles between us.

I explained to her that I was going to be committed to her but I understood that the distance was going to be an issue and I would understand if she felt down the road that being committed was not going to work out. It was one of the many issues Alcide and Angela were having and he was seriously considering moving to Canada so that it would solve their problems. But I think their problems were about something else but I did not want to interfere.

She told me that she thought it would be a good idea if we talk about this some more down the road since we were so new as a couple. She knew that she wanted me in the long run but she didn't think it was wise to have a long distance relationship. She knew she would be busy at school and me with my career and it would make sense for us to just 'BE' for the time being.

I asked her to explain.

She said that we could be girlfriend/boyfriend but that the distance was going to suck and there was no way for us to make plans to be together while she was out on school breaks because it seemed that was when I was the busiest.

I couldn't fault her there, she was right.

I told her I could limit my projects every year and that way we could be together more.

She told me she did not want me to hold back on my dreams and she felt that I meant the same for her.

I told her my dreams included her and she said that was sweet but she wanted to be realistic about our lives in the near future. She had another year of school and I had another year of "Blood Moon" and press junkets and premiers and awards and new movie projects, she kept listing more and more and I knew she was right but I didn't want to admit it.

I asked her when had she had become so smart about life….. Her answer was one word.

GRAN

Got to love that woman.

So here is what we did decide on. We would be a couple of sorts…. We knew the distance would not make us a normal couple per say. Neither of us wanted to date anyone else but we would leave that open just in case something happened but we would talk about it first, so the other was not blindsided.

We decided we would make a date every other night to talk on SKYPE. We would email or text when we needed each other but we knew that during our daily schedules we may not be able to get back right away. i.e., classes, movie or TV production….

It was going to be a long haul but we knew we would need to make adjustments along the way but when we could we would enjoy each other as if no time had come between us.

It was a good solid plan; now let's see how long we could stick to it.

We enjoyed ourselves a little too much in Bon Temps and we ended up spending an extra two days.

I was glad we did because I found out that Gran's neighbor had set things in motion before our little talk and it pissed me off. Apparently he had already gotten in touch with a real estate company and was having Gran's home appraised. The dude was actually trying to get in the home; he was told it would be unlocked.

That made we wonder how often the creep had been inside the house when Gran was gone and what the hell he was doing while inside of it...

The locks would be changed before we left and Bud and Gran were getting a phone call. We ended staying till Tuesday afternoon so that Jackson could meet up with us and change the locks, he brought out a crew with him and installed a security system so that we could catch said creep on video and nail his ass to the wall.

Jackson also contacted his lawyer, Mr. Cataliades. He told him about my argument with Compton and he wanted this nonsense stopped. Mr. C suggested since Gran was up in age that she deed over the property into her grandchildren's' names so that if he did go after Adele he was stopped in his tracks quickly. Jackson made the smart ass comment _'all of them'_ and had to explain to Mr. C about the new abridged version of her family. Mr. C said it wouldn't hurt to have the Herveaux's name on the deed too.

That was a topic of discussion we needed to have with everyone present, so while Jackson fixed the locks Sookie and I ran over to Jason's to talk to Pam and him. We decided they would come up this weekend so that we could talk about the farmhouse.

As we drove back to the farmhouse Sookie told me Mr. C. was who was with her and the other girls at the trial and he didn't take anyone's crap. I guess I would have to ask Jackson what a corporate attorney was doing at a criminal trial.

When the weekend hit we had pretty much talked everything over numerous times. We just needed to get Pam's and Jason's opinion on the matter.

Jason's only thought on the matter was that he had their parent's house and Sookie was to get Gran's house upon her death but as long as it was understood that none of the other grandkids could try to take it away from Sookie than he was all for all of us being on the deed.

It was late Saturday but Jackson called the attorney and asked him if he would come over to the house so that he could hear what we had to say, plus he would like for us all to sign the paperwork that day too since Jason and Pam had to head back Sunday afternoon.

Mr. C was over in less than an hour and we went over everything with him. He said he would put in a codicil that Sookie was the sole proprietor of the property but the other grandchildren would hold claim to the house in the case of Sookie's death.

We all agreed; in less than 3 hours Sookie was the proud owner of the farmhouse and the paperwork would be filed 9am on Monday morning.

Once that was resolved we all settled back into our lives and saw that time was coming near for the girls to head back to school… They didn't want to be first ones there this year because of the loneliness they felt last year.

I reminded Sookie we needed at least a day up there for the jeweler.

It was decided we would leave on Wednesday and stay on campus in their rooms and Alcide would drive up Janice on Thursday so she was there before the big rush on Saturday and Sunday.

We called ahead to alert Bob the security guard that I would be on campus and that Alcide would be there a day later. He said it wouldn't be a problem and if we needed extra security once it got out I was there he would make sure we had it. Sookie told me Bob was involved in the case against Quinn so he knew who I was and who the Herveaux's were.

Well that made things a little easier.

We got there as scheduled; we hit the jeweler first before we went on campus. They had what we wanted for Catherine and we had it engraved from both Sookie and I on the back. Sookie said she would love it, she had admired the one I had given her and we both thought that she would be honored to be in the club. We heard from her that day and she said she would be there by Friday morning so we decided that Alcide and I would stay until late Friday so that we could spend more time with the girls and be off the campus before all hell broke loose.

_**Well here is what really happened. **_

Sook and I arrived on Wednesday

Visited the jewelers, got what we wanted and headed to the campus.

Picked up fast food on the way back, so we didn't have to go out for dinner.

As we walked up the steps we were met by the new dorm security guard, apparently he didn't want me on site. We headed for the security office and spoke with Bob; he reprimanded the guy, Jonathan, and told him, it was already approved by the Dean, so get over it.

We headed back and were ambushed by four girls. I told them that if they let us have tonight then tomorrow they would get a twofer when Alcide showed up with Janice. Well Janice was going to be outed anyway.

The girls squealed and left us alone for the night.

Thursday, Alcide and Janice showed up, plus one.

It was like a caravan actually, Pam had come to and she had driven up with Tara and Amelia in Amelia's car.

Oh this was going to be rich when the fan girls caught wind that all three of us would be there.

But I figured if Sookie and I were going to be a couple and she was still at LSU I would have to get used to this if I was ever going to pay her a visit during the year or for graduation.

We got everyone unloaded and in their dorm rooms. It was around lunchtime so we all headed back into town to a little diner Alcide and I saw the last time we were in town. We all went in and the squeal was deafening. The three of us were use to this shit but the girls just looked like a deer in the headlights. Once it calmed down I asked Sookie if she was ready for this on a continual basis.

Her response, "If you can handle it, so can I."

I was proud of her.

Once we were done we headed back for campus and we met up with the four fan girls from the day before. The one girl said she thought I was teasing her about Alcide but to have Pam there too was fuck awesome.

I asked them to meet us in about an hour in the lounge on Sookie's floor so that I could talk to everyone in our party first.

They asked if they could bring a few friends. I told them the more the merrier.

We escaped to the girl's floor and went in to Sookie's room since Catherine wasn't there yet it would give us a little bit more room.

Since Pam and Alcide didn't know what I had set up I had to explain. Quiet time was not going to happen. The word was out that I was on campus and now you two. If we got this over with now then when we came back and visited during the year and at graduation we wouldn't have to go through this all over again. Yes there would be a few fans that didn't meet us this time around but by the end of the year, we would just be gawked at, not harassed.

Pam and Alcide both agreed that it was a sound plan. Now let's see if it would work.

Tara asked us if we were going to answer any questions the girls asked or just sign stuff and take pictures for them.

Sookie said it would probably be a good idea to answer some questions so that rumors didn't start and then the outing of me and Janice would be on our terms.

Pam said it sounded like the smart move. But for it to be done correctly, she wanted all of us to stand up in front of them together as a family like we were.

Amelia said she was honored to be considered part of the family.

As we were finishing up our family meeting there was a knock on the door. Sookie reluctantly walked over to answer it because she wasn't too sure who it would be.

As she got closer, we heard, "Open Up, It's me Maria."

We all sighed.

Sookie opened up the door to Maria and asked her to come in.

She looked around and saw all of us and giggled.

"Damn the gossip mill is working overtime since I was approached as I entered the dorm about you all being here but I figured they were all full of shit. But I knew if you were here you would be with Sook."

"How are you all doing?"

We told here we were all doing fine and wanted her to be with us when we met in the lounge in roughly 10 minutes time. She said she had a few things left in her car to get but she would hurry as quickly as she could. All the girls said they would help her out so it could be done quicker.

Hell Pam even volunteered… Country life is certainly agreeing with her.

Alcide and I offered to help but the girls told us to stay put. Pam could blend but we would stick out like sour thumbs.

While we waited I spoke with Alcide about everything again. He said we were in this together and since it was Janice's last year here it wouldn't be so bad for her to be connected to him or us. Then we were trying to figure out sleeping arrangements since Maria is here that means one less bed. I told him we would figure it out.

It was only one night.

He let me know while we were alone that Angela had told him that after spending time with him and his family she was going to regret her next move. Apparently she had come to break up with him because she didn't think she could have a normal life with him; plus the kicker was she had met someone else. Well that was a giant slap to the head but he said he felt it coming and he would get over it. He would always love her but if she wasn't ready for the commitment he was then to hell with her. He knew her going back to Canada was the beginning of the end and nothing he could say or do would change that. He knew the next three weeks we had with Gran would help. She would help him better understand it and move forward. I was looking forward to the time with Gran too.

We decided when we got back that we would ask Gran if we could go to the Farmhouse and just relax in the good country air, plus Pam would have someone to hang with during the day so she didn't get too bored waiting for Jason to come home at night. Her time in Bon Temps was less painful to a city girl when she could hang out with Amelia and Tara.

I told him we could talk about it more on the way back to Shreveport tomorrow if he wanted to.

He said he would let me know.

Well the girls made good time; Alcide and I helped move things around so the girls didn't have to do any heaving lifting.

**Show time**

We entered the lounge and were shocked that there were at least 40 fans shoved into the small room. It was standing room only. There were both male and females there.

We filed to the front of the room which was by the big open windows and just smiled back at them all. We all held hands so no-one knew what we were up to and who was with whom.

Sookie was the one who greeted them… She was going to be our spokesperson since she was the one who would get stared at the most throughout the year.

"Hello everyone, we know it seems odd for all of us to be up here and I am sure you are wondering why. We as a collective are a family; we are missing one person but she won't be here till tomorrow. We know you all are curious what Eric Northman and Alcide Herveaux and Pam Ravenscroft are doing on campus. Well to be honest, Janice is Alcide's sister and Eric is, umm… "

"Eric, help me out here."

"What Sookie is so eloquently trying to say is that we are boyfriend and girlfriend."

There was a collective gasp from the fan base.

"Okay so now that that is covered. Pam is dating my brother. (Another gasp) And well the rest of the girls up here are your dorm mates and are part of our tight nit family; we are missing Catherine who will be here tomorrow and Claudine who graduated last year. But we are very protective of one and another and would like to have a little privacy to our relationship with these well known actors. They will be here on and off for the next year until the group of us graduate. Please, while they are here throughout the year just say hello and move on. They will talk to you if not stalked but please treat them with respect and like anyone else you would see on campus. We would appreciate it if you wouldn't ask them for pictures or autographs after today as they would like to spend some quiet time with us until tomorrow when they head back for work. So if you have any questions please ask them and if they are not too personal we will answer them, but we ask you don't sell these questions and such to the RAG magazines and TMZ, please let our time be private. Eric, Alcide and Pam would like a little normalcy to their lives and if we can help them out that would be great. Also if you would want an autograph or a picture they are willing to do that today too because we are sure that tomorrow they will be getting hounded some more when new students and or fans show up for the new school year."

"Did I miss anything?"

Alcide spoke up, "We would like to invite all of you for a cook out tomorrow afternoon around 1pm. It will be mine and Eric's treat. We have everything cleared with Security and the Dean so there will be no need to worry. We will **NOT** be supplying alcohol just food and drinks-soda, tea, lemonade, we don't want to be held accountable for that. The dorm and I am sure some of the campus will be there as well so we will make sure there is plenty of food. We will hold it outside so that we do not infer with the new students bringing their stuff into the dorms."

Pam spoke up now, "We know you were not expecting us to be here or offer up pictures and such but after we answer a few questions we will then take the time for autographs and pictures. If after the open forum of Q&A you want to sneak back to your rooms for cameras and something to autograph that would be the time to do it so you don't miss something."

"Okay if you have a question, please hold up your hand… We might not get to you all but we will try."

30 hands shot up into the air…..

Just as all this was happening Bob the security guard came into the lounge and laughed; Jonathan looked embarrassed at how orderly everything was.

Tara and Amelia took over from here; they went over to the person that would be able to ask the question so that we could do this as orderly as possible.

Q1-"How and when did Eric and Sookie Meet."

A1- "Baton Rouge Starbucks three years ago."

Q2- "Alcide are you still seeing someone?"

A2- "not at this time"

Yeah there were looks from the family. Guess we would explain later.

Q3-"Sookie are you and Eric going to get married? Has he proposed?"

A3- "We talked about it but nothing is set in stone and no we are not engaged at this time."

Q4- "Pam how did you meet Sookie's brother?"

A4-"Gran"

No elaboration and they accepted the answer.

Then the questions turned toward Blood Moon and we answered them to the best of our ability.

We did Q&A for about 20 more minutes and then we let everyone there had 5 minutes to get back for the pictures and autographs, which were less stressful and no chaos like we usually had at a meet and greet but there was always tomorrow.

Well the pictures and such took about another hour but we were having fun and we didn't notice the length of time that had passed. By the time it was over Bob had asked for a minute of our time once we were done with the last person.

We were afraid that they would cancel tomorrow on us; we spent a week putting it together with Bob's help. We were having it catered for 200 people because we didn't know how many were going to be there by noon Friday and we figured the girls could share leftovers with everyone and hold them in their fridges.

But that wasn't the case, he wanted to verify time and such, he found a tent so that they could set up tables and chairs and everyone could eat outside. It was coming together nicely… He also said he called in a favor with Detective Coughlin and he would be here tomorrow as well to help out in case there were any problems.

After everyone left and the nice to meet yous were over we went into town to that diner again to eat dinner… There weren't as many people in there and no-one knew who we were so it was an uneventful night until we got back to the dorm.

Sleeping arrangements.

Well Pam was going to sleep in our room and Alcide was suppose to sleep in Janice's but when Maria showed up that was off the table. Pam suggested her and Alcide sleep in our room since it happened before and there was no funny business so nothing would happen now. Maria looked sadden about Alcide not being in her room, we figured she was smitten and was willing to sacrifice her bed to share with him… But it was Amelia who came up with the idea we went with.

Pam and Alcide stay in her and Tara's room with them. Tara and Amelia in one bed, Alcide and Pam in another, Janice and Maria in their room, Sookie and me in Sookie's room. Her reasoning was simple enough; Sookie and I would not be seeing each other again for a few months so it would be best if we were able to spend out last night together ALONE and uninterrupted by anyone. Because tomorrow when the students started showing back on campus, it was going to be HELL…

It was a solid plan, we all agreed and headed for the lounge to BS and relax before bedtime. We all turned in around 11pm except for Maria and Alcide they were in a heated discussion about the wows of dating an actor and what ramifications happened when you couldn't handle it any more. This was all after Alcide explained to everyone why he broke up with Angela. I knew Alcide was smart enough not to rebound with Maria because it would hurt her and Janice but that didn't mean he couldn't flirt.

We were woken up about 10am from the sound of banging on the door. It was Bob, he said the media caught wind of us being on campus and they wanted to talk to the three of us.

Aw Hell, quiet time is gone.

We told Bob we would talk to them at the security office, they were not allowed on campus. We didn't want them to know who we were with. We wanted Sookie and Janice to have anonymity for a little while.

So at 10:30am we were meeting with the press.

We told a fib… we told them we were there checking out a location for a possible future location shoot. Hell they bought it. As we were wrapping up Pam got on the phone with Felicia so she wouldn't be blindsided with the question. She said she thought the location shoot was a good idea for a Pack shoot; maybe we could use the gym for a Fangtasia shoot. She would have to check into it.

We didn't tell the girls we wanted to surprise them in case we couldn't pull it off.

The caterers showed up around 11am and set up quickly. They knew they were catering for actors and heard about the possible upcoming shoot so they wanted to impress us so they could possibly get the business if we did indeed come to town.

I would put a good word in for them if everything went without a hitch.

By noon the campus was swarming with students and they were all told that lunch was being served at 1pm. They were curious but just went with the flow. About 12:30pm, Det. Coughlin stopped by to say hi to the girls and introduce himself to Pam. He was a nice man and I was happy he was there for Sookie and the girls… He even brought along Kevin Pryor and the girls asked him how he was. He said good and asked how they had been holding up since the trial.

Janice pulled me aside and told me that when Det. Coughlin couldn't be with us he had Kevin with us at all times. I gained a new respect for the detective and his protectiveness of all the girls. I had a good feeling if the paparazzi got wind of Sookie I could give him a call and he would make sure she was taken care of and not harassed.

Well we all headed down to the common ground between the dorms and walked through the side of tent towards the front. There was a special table set up for the family so we led the girls over to it and sat down. However, once the students realized who was there all hell broke loose, again.

We had planned 200 people but I think we were close to 250 and adding quickly. I went over to the caterer and told him our dilemma. He said not to worry, they saw the crowd coming in and went out and bought additional supplies. They would have to change the menu up to accommodate everyone but he thinks it will all work out. He said girls can be picky so they added more salads and fix'ins plus they called a pizza place they are friendly with and 30 pies were on there way. They should be there any minute.

I told him I appreciated his quick thinking and I would definitely tell the producers about his ability to act and produce under pressure.

I stood up on a little bench that was supplied to me. Now I am 6'4" tall and I am sure everyone could see me but I wanted to make sure they heard me.

I introduced myself, Alcide and Pam; I let them know their welcome back to school lunch was being provided by the three of us and we wanted them to enjoy their lunch. We also wanted to let them know that they may see us on campus from time to time and we would appreciate it they could show us the respect that they give to their fellow students. We didn't mind if they stopped us to talk, but if we were not in a hurry to get somewhere and if we asked them to catch us later to please abide by our wishes. We have family on campus and would like to be able to have some sort of privacy with them while visiting. I let them know that the students that were sitting at our table were our family members and to please respect their privacy...

The students were still pretty quiet so I continued.

After everyone had time to eat we would be open for autographs and pictures, we would be available for about an hour, we hoped we could get through everyone that wanted one. I let everyone know they would not be limited like at a meet and greet but we needed to make sure we moved along quickly so everyone in attendance would be able to get pictures and autographs. I told them if we got this over now than they were less likely to stalk us when we did come onto campus again.

It was at that moment that Catherine came into the tent and our table all rushed over to her to say hello and pull her to the table. Maybe stalk was a bad word but I am sure she understood what I meant.

It was then that everyone got to see who my family was. I made everyone stop in there tracts. I introduced everyone, including Det. Coughlin, Police Officer Pryor and Head of Security Bob. There was a slight gasp when I introduced them as family member. I told them that these three men helped protect our loved ones three years ago during a crisis and for that they are family; to please show them respect also.

It was kind of surreal when I was doing the introductions and I wanted Sookie by my side but there were pictures being taken by cell phones and I didn't want to give the paparazzi ammunition.

So that led me into my next request.

I know I cannot stop you from taking pictures on your cell phones or gossiping but we would appreciate it you didn't sell anything to the paparazzi or Rag Magazines or TMZ; we would like some normalcy and it would help if you didn't try to profit from our visit. Again we were open to talk to you when visiting but we wanted our privacy too.

The caterer said they were ready so I let everyone know that they could line up in an orderly fashion on both sides of the long serving tables, we wanted everyone to be able to eat and then we could start the autograph time. I told everyone; if they needed to leave to get a camera or paper that was fine, but we did happen to grab some blank paper just in case and we would make sure everyone in attendance for lunch got to see us even if we ran a little over the hour.

I asked the family table to follow the caterer so that we could be served first and be ready for the M&G time. They all got up and followed, the sea of students parted to let us by and it showed me they were listening to the respect part of the speech. I would have to let the Dean know.

We got our lunch and sat down; we talked, ate and made fun of each other just like we would do any other time. It showed the students we really were a family unit. I asked Coughlin, Pryor and Bob to please get something to eat because it may be a long day ahead of us.

The caterer came and got them and led them to the front of the line, the students never balked or complained, again they parted and let them through.

Within a half hour we were done eating and I asked the table to please stay with us, Sook leaned over and whispered she didn't trust these Coeds with her man, she wasn't going anywhere and then she kissed me on the lips. Very possessive my Sookie but she was showing everyone I belong to her… She wasn't afraid that everyone knew we belonged to one another and she was marking her territory... God I loved this woman, I knew we would make it through anything that was thrown our way.

The M&G was fun, just like the previous day. The pictures and autograph lines ran smoothly, the girls took the initiative to run things again and I think that is why it moved so smoothly. I would have to let Felicia know if she ever needed help these girls knew their stuff.

As the lines were finishing up we realized it was later than what we wanted it to be so that we could leave to drive back to Shreveport, but with Alcide's lead foot we would make it right around 8pm and we could have a late dinner.

I didn't want to leave Sookie and I knew she felt the same but we knew we had our lives to get back to.

We met with Catherine to give her the necklace; she was a crying mess after I clasped it around her neck… She told both of us she would never forget what true friends she has in us and hopes we would always be friends.

The goodbyes were bitter sweet but we made our Skype time for every other day unless one of us was unable to meet the time, we had our phones and texting and we had her next break to look forward to OR a possible location shoot but I still didn't let on about that.

The last thing Sookie said before we parted ways was she loved me and on our off Skype nights and in the morning she was still going to talk to me like she always did. I told her I wouldn't have it any other way. I felt her when she did it and now I would be making sure I watched out for it.

I knew missing her was going to hurt my psyche more than the lack of sex.

I knew I could stay true to her and I knew it was just a matter of months before we were together again.

But this time around I was determined to make sure I was always home for her holiday breaks.

We talked on the way home and Pam told us that Jason had asked her to marry him…She told him yes but he wanted to tell Gran before he told everyone else. But she wanted to tell us since we were her family; we were her brothers through and through.

We told her we were proud of her and asked what she was going to do about acting. She said that she and Jason agreed they could make it work long distance and if she continued to live with us and then him on her off months she would be fine. Right now her only gig was "Blood Moon" and she was going to leave it that way. She always saved her money and she knew financially she would be fine. Plus she and Alcide didn't pay me rent and that was cool with me. I owned the house out right so there was no need, they helped me with utilities and food and that was enough.

We got into Shreveport a little past 8pm and dinner was waiting for us as were our parents and Gran. Gran could tell we were all melancholy and tried to draw us out of it.

Her pearl of wisdom.

"We have our memories and we have their love. We will see them again in a few months."

We asked Gran if we could go to Bon Temps for our next three weeks and stay with her again like last year. She said of course but she figured we would want to stay with Sabrina and Jackson.

I let her know we did but we wanted some solitude too. And that was Bon Temps.

Man it's been only a year since all this has come together and I was loving life.

But I was missing my heart.

I knew I could get through this. I knew I had the love of my life; now only to get by all of real life's obstacles and we would be fine.

We stayed in Bon Temps and had a great time, the three weeks flew by, plus while I was there I hired a contractor to come out and remodel the two bathrooms. Gran knew after the first day I was up to no good but when Calvin Norris showed up the second day we were there she knew she was in for another mess. I showed Calvin the two bathrooms and told him what I wanted. He said he could do it. He would have a crew come out and do Gran's bathroom first and then work on the spare one so there would always be an operating bathroom. I told him we could use the one located in the new addition to the house so if he had the crew to do both go for it. He said he didn't want to inconvenience Adele and she told him to hush, she would be fine.

As the final days approached of our visit, the smaller bathroom was finished and Gran's in suite was almost done. She was excited to see a new fresh look to her home.

But of course on our last day all hell broke loose when Compton showed up.

Gran answered the door and he was belligerent with her about him owning her property now and wanting her gone in the next 30 days.

Well I had enough… GRRR … this man was not only a creeper but a pain in the ass.

Alcide heard everything to and called his dad who called Mr. C; Jackson said he was only about 10 minutes away so to keep the asshole there and by the time he got there hopefully Bud would be there too.

This was ending today.

Alcide's next call was to Bud and Kenya said he was on his way.

Gran was smart to have a copy of the deed forwarded to Bud, she knew to keep one on hand so that when the real fight started we had all our ducks in a row. I told Alcide that if we had to stay a few extra days we were, this man was not getting away with this and I would not leave Gran alone to fight this man.

He agreed and he figured his mom and dad would stay with her otherwise.

As we heard a car approach down the driveway that's when Alcide and I stepped out to show Compton that we were there. One of us is intimidating but the two of us were a force to be reckoned with. Alcide has me by another inch or two and at least 60 pounds of pure muscle… Hell I drooled over this man's body.

Compton about shit when he saw he overplayed his hand.

But we were shocked at who was pulling up, it was Jason and Pam, they got a call from Bud and told them to get to the farmhouse NOW.

Jason walked up holding Pam's hand and looked square in Compton's face and asked him what the hell he wanted.

Compton told him that he was letting Adele know she had 30days to move out that he owned the farmhouse now and he wanted her and all of her belongings gone.

Jason just looked at him and said is that so.

"Who sold it to you?"

He said Adele signed it over to him the last time she was here. We all chuckled at that one; she hadn't been home in three months. He had a signature on a paper alright but it wasn't Adele's, not even close.

By that time Bud and Jackson had arrived and we updated them on what Mr. Compton had just told us.

Bud asked him for the document and he took a look, Bud said, "it looked all prim and proper but Adele wasn't here on the date that the document was signed and the signature did not match the signature on the document in his hand which stated that the property was owned by the Stackhouse grandbabies as a collective which included Sookie and Jason Stackhouse, Eric Northman, Pam Ravenscroft, Janice and Alcide Herveaux, Jackson and Sabrina Herveaux." He continued with, "The deed he had at the station and now in his hand had been faxed to him and predated the one Compton had which he assumed was a fraud since Adele had been at the Herveaux's house since the end of May. The only occupants at the farmhouse this summer were when Eric and Sookie paid a visit or when Jason would stop by to check on things."

"Now if you continue on this route of harassment, Mr. Jackson Herveaux is prepared to press charges for harassment and fraud."

Jackson spoke up and said, " The paperwork is being filed as we speak so there was no way out on this one. Compton had pushed one too many times."

That's when I spoke up, "Mr. Compton, I do not know what you are up to and why you think you need this property. As I told you weeks ago this house would be mine before you ever laid claim to it. Now for all the pain and suffering you are causing I think I will be contacting my lawyer too and adding a second suite for harassment. I told you before you didn't know who you were messing with and now you are going to find out the hard way. I have plenty of money and clout to keep you in court for years and watch your money run out before mine does. You tested my patience and I am done. In case you didn't hear my name correctly, it is Eric James Northman III and I am the CEO of Northman Enterprises."

Jackson looked at me and said, "damn Eric I didn't know you were that Northman."

Apparently Compton heard of that name too… poor baby... whoas me… your fucked.

Jackson then said, "Compton we didn't push this a few weeks ago and I believe you thought Eric was my son and he is but not in blood, but I will tell you this, with both of us going after you, you will be a pauper by the time we are done."

Bud looked at all of us and asked for us to explain since he knew what I did for a living. I told him once Compton was off the property I would explain.

Once again Compton huffed off the property but first he tried to rip all of the documents out of Bud's hands. Bud was quicker than Compton and he never got the papers from his hands, oh he is so screwed.

What an ass.

We all went into the house and I sat everyone down in the kitchen to explain who I am.

"I have told all of you in the past, I have money, lots of money, I have a trust account but that trust account is continuously fed with funds.

I am the CEO of Northman Enterprises but I don't want the title or anything that comes along with it. Upon my dad's death he left everything to me. That means all his properties all over the world, his companies all over the world, etc… belong to me. I set my stepmom up because she had signed a pre-nuptial agreement and she got nothing but a small pension from my dad. She is a doctor and loves her job so she really doesn't need my help but she was the woman that raised me and as far as I was concerned she deserves the allowance she gets every month. Does the Board of Directors want that, Hell NO, but they agreed not to fight it as long as I let them run the company their way. Yes I do have to go to a yearly meeting and sign paperwork for them but they also have to keep me apprised of what is going on. I have lawyers I trust but I am always looking for more to fight them with and keep the board honest.

As for acting, I love it and can leave it any time I want to; if Sookie asked me to leave it I will. I can see me living here in BonTemps the rest of my life and I am looking forward to it but in the mean time I am going to enjoy the acting gig.

As for Compton, I sure as hell don't need the money but that pompous ass is going down. He doesn't know how to back down and I suspect he has been in your house while you have been gone Gran. I think since he knew you kept it unlocked he let himself in when he wanted to. I am not too sure what he was up to but I have a feeling it was not legal, hence Sookie calling him a creeper. I truly don't think he thought I was here that weekend with her, he came back the following morning in hopes to see her again but I answered the door and ruined his plans.

Hence my farce of being married to her.

Anyway, I don't boast about who I am or the paparazzi would have a fucking field day so I would appreciate it if it wasn't discussed after today. Sookie knows I have money but I never told her that it is perpetual allowance. The next time we're together I will let her know just in case Compton does something stupid and blindsides me with it and tells the Rag magazines.

I know I know I shouldn't wait that long but I don't think it is something you just burst out with and hope everything is still cool. I love Sookie and I know she doesn't love my money, hell any time I offer to help she tells me no, so I know she is not a gold digger. But I would rather be safe and stay under the radar with this."

Everyone agreed that there would be no more talk on the matter.

Bud agreed to check on Adele as much as he could and Jackson said if things get bad with Compton, Gran can either come back to Shreveport or they would stay with her at the farmhouse. It was Gran's decision.

Jason did however have one thing to say about the whole thing.

"Eric, you know I love you Bro and I would do anything for ya but I have one word of advice for ya on the CEO thingy. You need to tell Sook soon because this will blow up in your face if you don't. Sook has trust issues with guys and such after the Quinn thing so if I was you I would find a way to tell her before she learns this one on her own. It will not go over well if she finds out from someone else. If she does find out before you tell her I will help you out the best I can but there are no guarantees on how she will take this little omission on this facet of your life. She ain't a gold-digger and that is what people might say to her about it."

I just stared at Jason in awe, sometimes he was just there simple and true and then BAM he leveled you with a life study that even a college professor would be proud of.

"Of course Jason but I would much rather do it in person and I don't see that happening anytime soon."

Gran said, "Honey I agree with Jason and you need to get this over with soon, before someone hired by Compton tracks Sookie down and lets the cat out of the bag. He might not know she doesn't know but that doesn't mean he is not going to play dirty and uproot Sookie's life too."

I told her I would get to it as soon as I can.

We ended up staying with Gran an extra day and let Felicia know we were running a day behind because of family issues. She told us not to worry she would cover for us.

The three of us got back into LAX and were hit with the paparazzi taking our pictures as we waited for our luggage and car. Questions were being shouted to us about our dating status and we just laughed and ignored them. None of them knew about Jason and Sookie yet and I was glad about that but when Pam slid her arm into mine the Paps saw her ring and started asking us when I popped the question.

Alcide ran with this one and said, "Who said she is engaged to him?"

So of course they turned on all of us at once to get us to spill the beans about who was engaged to Pam. And since we all lived in the same house questions were flying. We ignored them again and got into the car and left.

Life on the show was busy and it was approved for us to do a location shoot in Baton Rouge at LSU, it would be after the Thanksgiving holiday break when the students returned so it would give the crew a few days to set up the scenery to fit what we wanted to do with their gym.

The Pack was going to hold a Halloween Sock Hop and the vampires were going to crash it.

I spoke with Sookie every other night on Skype when I wasn't shooting at night. It was like nothing had every changed for us even if we were thousands of miles away from one another. We were still a couple and we knew we could make it through the next year. Sookie had mentioned that after graduation we could talk about where she wanted to teach and if I wanted her to move out to LA to teach there. I told her _NO_, LA wasn't a place I wanted to neither live out my life with her nor raise our kids.

She laughed at me and said we have plenty of time to decide yet.

Life went on and I never got a chance to tell her on Skype about the CEO thing as I wanted to do it face to face not computer to computer so I was hoping to get time to talk to her over her Thanksgiving break and before the shoot. The thing with Compton had started to heat up and I wanted to warn her.

But I never made it to the Herveaux's for the holiday I had to head to Northman Enterprises to talk to the lawyers. I told Sookie I had some work related things to take care of and I would see her at the shoot. She told me she was okay with that and would see me soon.

Apparently, the Board of Directors had caught wind of my nuptials from Compton's lawyers so they wanted to talk to me about what a gold-digger I had married and how this was going to affect the business.

I was flabbergasted to say the least.

I let them know I was just dating Sookie and we had told Compton we were married to get him to back off. Apparently he was using this as ammo that Sookie had talked me into buying a piece of worthless property… I told them this property had nothing to do with Northman Enterprise and the money that was spent had come out of my trust fund and to back off.

They backed off but they were not happy since the company was mentioned in the counter lawsuit Compton filed.

What did he think he was going to win? Jackson and I filed a harassment lawsuit. It had nothing to do with worthless property… What was he thinking?

His lawsuit stated we had harassed him and caused bodily harm to him on two separate occasions. My recollection was I towered over the ass, I never touched him and on both occasions I had witnesses. I guess he figured if he went after me I would lose face with the Stackhouse's and then he could weasel his way in to get what he wanted. The Farmhouse.

ASSHOLE.

I had paid off the farmhouse a year ago, there was not a mortgage to be levied against and with the allowance I gave Gran she never needed to worry about the taxes… It was then that I decided I needed to set up an account for Sookie so that when Gran passed she would have money for the farmhouse too. I was hoping by the time Gran left us we would be together and it wouldn't be necessary but I was one to always be prepared and ready for anything. I wanted to stay ahead of everyone and was playing this lawsuit like a chess game that I knew I wasn't going to lose.

I knew it was a high handed thing to do but I did not want Compton to have any ammo about the Stackhouse's finances.

I spoke with Jason and asked him to meet me at the bank in town so that I could set up the account with him and Sookie's name on it. He said he would meet me there and not tell anyone. I wanted to tell Sookie myself because I knew she would give me a ration of shit about it.

I rationalized that I was just making sure that they never lost the farmhouse and it would always be in their family.

Maybe I was wrong but I would worry about her wrath later.

I made it to the Herveaux's as everyone was getting ready to leave for LSU. I drove up with Sookie but I couldn't bring myself to tell her then while we were driving; it was too sensitive a matter and it just didn't feel like the right time.

When would it ever be?

The shoot went great, I really didn't interact with Sookie on the set; she was one of Alcide's pack mates. When the vampires invaded the sock hop we only dealt with Alcide and his top ranking pack mates, Sookie was just a background player.

I got to spend my evenings with her for three days but we never got a chance to talk privately… The coeds on the campus gave us plenty of berth to be together but I wanted our talk to be more private and I decided it could wait until the summer break.

_**It would be best**_**.**

I could be wrong but I felt I was making the right decision at the time.

We met up two more times during the school year and then all hell broke loose when I went back for Sookie and Janice's graduation. Everything was fine until after the graduation ceremony and the paparazzi tracked us down at the small diner in town.

Let me just first say that Sookie looked beautiful and if I was a smart man I would have whisked her away then and married her, a justice of the peace would have been fine by me.

But I was a stupid prideful fool of a man that night and chose to argue with the paparazzi that were relentless that night.

If I didn't know any better I would have thought this was a set up and maybe I would find out later it was, but right now I was watching my love my future happiness slip away from me.

They yelled out at us about everything. My true FULL name, my true identity(CEO yada yada), my true net worth(multi billionaire), the bank account in Sookie's name that I set up for her gold-digging ways, my hidden life(life as CEO and actor). Everything…..

Let me say hindsight being 20/20 I should have talked to Sookie and told her everything months ago.

I think I fucked myself royally this time and didn't know how I was gonna fix it or make things better between us.

She wouldn't even ride back to Shreveport with me and when we got back to the H's house she let me have it.

She told me she was disappointed in me and that if I really did love her I would not have kept these secrets from her. She could have handled everything better if I had only been truthful and honest with her. Her last hurtful words to my pride and ego were if I truly loved her I could have trusted her with everything that I was. She told me she was going home and not to ever follow her because she wanted nothing to do with me ever again. She couldn't be with someone that didn't trust her to keep their secrets.

She stormed out of the house and left. She didn't even say goodbye, she just left.

Everyone was in shock and of course Jason spoke up first, "Man I told ya to tell her. I don't know how you're gonna fix this and I will help you when I feel I can but right now it was not safe to talk to her until she's calmed down."

His advice was for me to stay away and when she was ready she would call.

I knew Sookie was right the whole time she was ranting but the way I had rationalized things in my head I knew I was right too.

But now was that rationalization really right?

Where had I gone wrong? How the hell was I gonna fix this?

I needed her; I needed her like I needed to breathe.

I looked at my family and those who were there with me the day I revealed everything understood but the three that weren't were just as pissed at me as Sookie was.

I tried to get them to hear me out maybe they could help me with Sookie, but Tara and Amelia just glared at me and told Gran they would see her in Bon Temps. They turned around and left without saying goodbye to everyone else.

Janice on the other hand looked at me and said okay explain it, you have five minutes and then I will tell you if I will help you or not.

Gran and Jackson both said in unison that it would take longer than five minutes even if it was an abbreviated version.

Janice motioned with her hands for me to start, so I did.

It took me about fifteen minutes but I got everything out. Needless to say Janice was shocked but she understood about privacy and what happens to people with wealth and how they were always under a microscope by everyone. Kinda like an actor is but since I was a CEO of a major company it was ten times worse. She understood my reasoning's but if I truly trusted Sookie like I said I did I would have told her at the beginning when we were telling each other everything and getting to know one another.

Her advice to me was, leave town, let Sookie cool off and once everyone in the family could talk to her we could get her to see reason but right now she was so HOT that was not going to happen.

Gran spoke up next and said she agreed it would be best for me to get out of dodge and go relax somewhere where I could hide out and stay private for a while.

Alcide told me to call my mom and go stay with her for a while. Get my head clear and see where everything goes from there.

I knew it was for the best but I was really looking forward to my three months with all of them. I knew Sookie would start applying to schools for a teaching position and I wanted to be here for her, to root her on but I knew I ruined that plan by not telling her everything.

I decided it was best to get out of dodge like Gran said.

I arrived in Stockholm the following day and I was miserable… I told my mom what I had done and she just shook her head and said I may never get my girl back. What I hadn't told Sookie was a major issue for most couples. Sookie may have known I had money but the extent of that money can be a deal breaker. Trust is a fine line we walk and I broke that line and made it all curvy and Sookie may never gain her trust back with me.

I fell into a depression for a few weeks. I hadn't heard from Sookie at all.

I heard from Alcide that they were trying to cheer her up but she was still pissed, but he knew by looking at Sookie that she missed me to and still loved me. His advice was to lay low and then come home for Sookie's birthday.

I knew I had to try before then so I tried to Skype her, she wouldn't answer.

I tried to text her, she wouldn't respond.

I tried to call her, she avoided my calls.

I called the farmhouse, she hung up on me.

I was miserable so I decided I needed to get out. So I hooked up with some of my old friends in South Stockholm and went clubbing.

**Let me just say BAD fucking idea. **

My picture was all over the RAGS again.

This time it let everyone know that the most eligible bachelor of Sweden had met the woman he was going to marry and had come home to find her and to finalize the wedding.

Well the picture they posted was of me and Dawn Green.

When the FUCK was that taken?

I didn't even know she was in Sweden.

Apparently she was at the club and I hooked up with her after I had way too many drinks. Apparently I asked her in my drunken state to marry me and she said yes.

**NO FUCKING WAY WAS I MARRYING THAT BITCH.**

Well someone had recorded it on their iPhone and sold it to the NEWS.

I don't remember any of it but there is was all over the news the following night.

FUCK

How soon would it reach Sookie?

I called Alcide immediately and he told me it was too late, someone had delivered four different RAG copies to Sookie's doorstep so she already knew.

Her words when she saw it.

"I knew I wasn't good enough for him", she locked herself away in her room.

How was I going to fix this?

I needed her, she was my life.

How did this happen?

Shit what was I going to do? I knew I couldn't be rash and had to plan this out. She would never believe me otherwise.

SHIT SHIT SHIT

* * *

"**As the days are long so are my Nights" it was my new Mantra.**

* * *

_**NOTE-**__ I do not know when the next chapter will be posted… As some of you know I have been sick and the last thing I want to do is write and finalize chapters. The next few chapters are long ones. I have 5 more chapters after this one and I know some of you will not be happy about the outcome of this chapter but please be patient; Sookie is a very stubborn woman. The next chapter is in her POV… So you will all see what she is thinking about once we get to the blow up. Thanks for reading Kristie _


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